Sports gambling could be boosting binge drinking in young men

Sports betting could boost binge drinking among young men

By Claire Cameron edited by Clara Moskowitz

Online sports betting is pushing some young men to drink excessively more than ever before, a new study suggests. The findings add to growing evidence that legalizing online gambling and sports apps could “have spillover effects beyond gambling itself,” says Keshar Ghimire, lead author of the study and an economist at the University of Cincinnati.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on sports gambling in 2018, the industry has exploded. Americans wagered nearly $41 billion on sports betting in the first quarter of 2025 alone, according to one estimate. At the epicenter are young men: a 2024 US survey found that one in four men aged 30 or younger bet on sports online. And as the market grows, scientists and public health advocates are increasingly concerned that young men who participate in sports betting are at increased risk of negative physical and mental health consequences.

In the new study, Ghimire and his co-author found that men with a history of binge drinking — defined for the men in the study as consuming five or more drinks in a single sitting — had a 10 percent increase in the frequency of binge drinking, on average, after online sports betting became legal in their state.

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Gambling apps or websites are designed to make it difficult to click, and bars are popular places to watch sports. These factors can combine to put men at increased risk.

“Online sports betting differs from traditional gambling because it is immediate, continuous and easily accessible via smartphones,” explains Ghimire. “This accessibility could make it easier to play in contexts where alcohol consumption is already common, such as watching live sports.”

He adds, however, that the research “identifies causality but does not directly test the behavioral mechanisms underlying it.”

It’s important to note that the study relies on participants’ self-report of how much they drink. This “could mean that the real level of consumption – and perhaps the magnitude of the increase – is somewhat higher than what appears in the survey data,” says Ghimire.

Ultimately, Ghimire says the study could help local policymakers target messages about responsible gaming to young men. Currently, online sports betting is legal in 31 states and Washington, DC.

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