Sports betting carries inherent risks, but a former top US public health official believes the medical community might be underestimating the dangers associated with the booming gambling activity.
Vice Admiral Jerome Adams held the position of Surgeon General of the United States from September 2017 to January 2021. Appointed by President Donald Trump, Adams’ tenure coincided with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adams is raising concerns about sports betting, which was illegal in most states until 2018, when the Supreme Court overturned the federal ban on single-game sports betting in 49 states.
Is Sports Betting as Addictive as Opioids?
In response to a social media post by Charlie Bilello, a renowned financial media personality with a significant following, highlighting the rapid growth of sports betting, Adams compared such gambling to opioids.
“Sports betting is the new opioid crisis. Our kids, especially our boys, are getting exposed and hooked early. And it’s ruining lives as surely as turning a blind eye to prescription opioids did,” Adams stated.
Adams also included a “did you know” statement claiming that “gambling is the addiction most likely to lead to suicide.”
Since leaving his public service role, Adams has been serving as a presidential fellow at Purdue University, where he holds the position of executive director of the Center for Community Health Enhancement and Learning (HEAL) and is a distinguished professor of practice in the departments of Pharmacy Practice and Public Health.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) faced significant criticism for its role in the opioid crisis, as the agency approved OxyContin in 1996 based on the claim, later found to be inadequately supported, that its time-release formula reduced its addictive properties. OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma aggressively promoted oxycodone to sales representatives and doctors based on the flawed addiction claim, while the FDA neglected mounting evidence of misuse.
The gambling industry successfully persuaded state legislators to legalize sports betting by arguing that a regulated market safeguards consumers and encourages responsible participation. Currently, 39 states and Washington, DC, have some form of legal sports betting, with online wagering permitted in all but six markets.
Sports Betting and Self-Harm
A study conducted at Rutgers University in 2024 revealed that 28% of problem gamblers reported suicidal thoughts, and 20% attempted suicide. More than one in four stated that they had engaged in non-suicidal self-injury.
However, a separate 2024 study at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, did not find a significant link between the proliferation of sports betting and increased suicide rates in the general population. However, there was a noticeable increase in males aged 15-34, with two additional suicides per 100,000 individuals. Conversely, the suicide rate linked to gambling among males aged 35-54 decreased by 2.4 per 100,000.
Behavioral health experts point out that alcohol use disorder and opioid addiction are frequently cited in suicide cases, while gambling addiction is associated with high rates of suicidal thoughts.