Legal, state-sanctioned sports betting is linked to more violent crime, according to researchers at Rice University.
Here’s what they found:
- Violent crime increases by as much as 70% from the start of a game through four hours after its conclusion in states that legalized sports betting.
- Assaults see the largest jump, up to 93%, after unexpected home-team betting outcomes.
- Researchers tied the most significant increases to home games and betting upsets.
The study — “The Impact of Legalized Sports Betting on Aggression” — appeared in the Journal of Sports Economics.
Rice University’s research follows a pair of prominent 2024 studies that found legalized sports betting is associated with higher rates of domestic violence and alcohol consumption.
Neighboring States
Researchers also found that “spillover effects” appear in neighboring states even when those states have not legalized betting. Thirty-nine states have legalized sports betting.
“What surprised us most was that the increase in crime isn’t limited to states that legalize sports gambling,” said Hua Gong, assistant professor of sport analytics at Rice University. “Even neighboring states that do not allow betting see more crime on game days, likely because people travel to place bets and then return home.”
According to a 2025 U.S. News survey, 21% of sports bettors admit to verbally abusing an athlete. The Rice University study is more evidence that sports betting and anger issues are linked.
Anecdotally, countless athletes and coaches have received death threats related to sports betting.
Crime Study Methodology
The study, co-authored by Gong and Wenche Wang, analyzed crime incident data from 2017 to 2021.
They found that states that legalized sports betting after the 2018 Supreme Court decision saw significant increases in assaults, larcenies, and vehicle thefts during and immediately following professional sports games. The 2018 SCOTUS ruling struck down a 1992 federal law prohibiting states from legalizing sports betting. Additional states legalized sports betting each year following the decision.
Crime levels rose most when betting outcomes defied expectations, such as when underdogs won or when other significant betting odds were upset.
“It is also worth noting that aggression may not stem solely from financial stress, as often observed in other forms of betting,” Wang said. “We find recent evidence of increased crime associated with stressful games, such as those with close or tied scores throughout, as well as games that extend into overtime.”
“Sports gambling is exciting for fans and financially attractive for states, but our findings show it can also lead to more crime,” Gong said. “When people lose their bets or go through very stressful game moments, that emotional volatility can translate into aggressive behavior.”
States collectively rake in nearly $1 billion in sales tax revenue from sports betting each quarter, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Betting & Domestic Violence
The 2025 Rice University study followed a 2024 study from researchers at the University of Oregon that found domestic violence is linked to legal sports betting.
The Oregon study found that when sports betting is legalized, the effect of NFL home team upset losses on intimate partner violence increases by around 10 percentage points.
Researchers linked a rise in violence to the emotional cues and financial stress associated with unexpected game losses.
Another 2024 study, this one from researchers at several universities, found that “legalization also generated … a 20% increase in mass-market alcohol consumption and a 75% increase in calls to gambling helplines.”
Bottom Line: Is There a Correlation Between Betting and Crime?
Yes, there is a correlation between violent crime and legal sports betting, according to researchers at Rice University. Furthermore, researchers at the University of Oregon found a link between sports betting and increased rates of intimate partner violence.
According to Gambling Research Exchange Ontario (GREO), about half of the individuals experiencing problem gambling commit a crime, violent or financial (i.e., “white collar).
Gambling and Substance Use
Gambling, criminal behavior, and substance abuse often cluster together.
In many cases, substance use can worsen both problem gambling and crime. People experiencing both substance abuse and problem gambling are at higher risk of committing assault and theft than those experiencing problem gambling alone.
Research also suggests that as gambling becomes more frequent and more costly, some people increase their use of drugs and alcohol.
Addressing the shared underlying drivers of these overlapping behaviors may improve prevention and recovery outcomes. It’s also important to raise awareness that substance abuse, gambling, and crime frequently co-occur. They can reinforce one another.
What Can Be Done?
In 2025, legislatures in Vermont and Maryland considered bills to repeal existing sports betting legalization. Neither proposal passed.
Legal sports betting is increasingly unpopular, according to multiple 2025 surveys. Around half of online sports bettors experience problems with their play, also according to multiple 2025 surveys.
More states must consider banning online sports betting apps to protect public health. The pending federal SAFE Bet Act also seeks to establish guardrails.
However, federally regulated “prediction market” sports betting platforms operate outside state law. Numerous states with legal sports betting say prediction markets are illegal gambling, and some are seeking to ban them.
All forms of online sports betting are corrosive and destructive to society. A core problem with legal sports betting is the prevalence and predatory nature of advertising.
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