Football is Back, Prompting Warnings to Avoid Gambling Traps

(KNSI) — Football season is back, and even though Minnesota has not yet legalized sports betting, all of our neighboring states do, prompting some gamblers to travel and place their wagers. Anti-addiction groups have a warning for bettors on how to be mindful of the pitfalls.

Susan Sheridan Tucker of the Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling says apps can be highly persuasive through their advertising, leading some to bet maybe more than they should. “Many of the ads are promoting free play, free dollars to encourage people to open accounts. And so, we are very concerned about that.”

Many apps allow users to deposit money and open accounts regardless of location, but bets can only be placed if the user is physically within state borders, at a casino, or at a sports book.

Tucker says her group takes no stance on gaming laws, but they still want consumer protections, knowing the proliferation of sports betting can be dangerous for some. “We are seeing these algorithms that are learning people’s behavior. And so, as people show their patterns online, those algorithms are changing – almost on a real-time basis – and encouraging people to continue to play.”

It’s estimated that at least three percent of American adults have a gambling problem. Tucker says compulsive gambling is a behavioral disorder, not a moral failure, and there should be federal resources for research and treatment.

The Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling also worked with legislators who crafted sports betting proposals, which was a hot topic of debate at the Capitol last session but went nowhere. Under proposed Senate rules, tribal casinos and the state’s two horse racing tracks could offer sports betting on mobile devices and in-person. It differed from its House counterpart, which would only let tribes offer sports wagering.

Sports betting in the U.S. doubled last year, surpassing $52 billion.

___

MNC Reporter Mike Moen contributed to this story.

___