Is Sports Gambling Bad For Your Heart?
Anything that causes intense psychological stress can be bad for your heart in the long term. Gambling, whether winning or losing, can contribute to heart risks.
Sports betting can be particularly dangerous because sports fans are already at a higher risk of heart disease.
According to the American Heart Association, there is evidence to suggest that heart attacks are more likely for NFL fans after their favorite team loses a big game.
Now, if you add gambling to the equation, the heart risks would increase to some extent.
The increased risks could be minimal for younger sports fans and bettors who are generally healthy. The dangers would be greater for older individuals who are already most at risk due to their age or other health issues.
The risks also increase if an individual has a gambling problem.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), “gambling has been associated with biological measures of stress responsiveness, such as elevated heart rates and cortisol levels, particularly amongst problem gamblers.”
This is perhaps why, anecdotally, casinos have a relatively high number of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). You might notice even more of them in the sportsbook area of your local casino if you live in one of roughly three dozen sports betting states.
The Danger of Financial Stress From Sports Betting
One of the most well-known and devastating stressors in life is related to personal finances.
According to the NIH, work stress and financial stress are associated with a “higher risk of acute myocardial infarction.” In more common terms, a heart attack.
“The odds of myocardial infarction was 5.6 times higher in patients with moderate or severe work stress compared to those with minimal or no stress. Patients with significant financial stress had a 13-fold higher odds of having a myocardial infarction,” according to the findings.
Gambling can be devastating to an individual’s finances. A great many sports bettors wager more than they feel comfortable losing, often leading to the dangerous behavior of chasing losses.
Some sports betting states allow credit cards to be used on gambling sites.
Summary of Why Sports Betting is Risky for Your Heart
Gambling on sports is particularly dangerous for older individuals. Here’s a summary of why:
Financial stress can dramatically increase heart attack risk
Extreme emotional investment in sports outcomes can increase heart attack risk
Gambling in general can increase heart attack risk
Sports betting beyond one’s financial comfort level compounds the risks
If you or someone you know is dealing with chronic financial stress, feels emotionally invested in watching a beloved sports team regardless of whether a bet was made, and has ever experienced compulsive tendencies in other gambling activities, we recommend abstaining from sports betting.
Image by F. Muhammad from Pixabay.