Sports Betting and Excessive Alcohol Consumption: A Concerning Association

In recent years, sports betting has become widely accessible through apps and digital platforms, reaching millions of people. At the same time, scientific evidence has increasingly shown that this practice may be linked to riskier patterns of alcohol consumption.¹–⁵ A study published in JAMA investigated whether U.S. adults who bet on sports are at greater risk of episodic heavy drinking—commonly known as binge drinking—compared to the general population.

The study, conducted by Grubbs and Kraus (2024),¹ analyzed data from 4,363 adults living in the United States, collected between March and April 2022. The sample included both a representative portion of the general population and an additional group of sports bettors, allowing for robust comparisons between those who bet and those who do not. Excessive alcohol consumption was assessed using a questionnaire (National Institute on Drug Abuse Quick Screen), which defines binge drinking as consuming five or more drinks on a single occasion for men, and four or more for women.

Among participants, 1,812 were identified as sports bettors, and the profile of this group stood out: they were predominantly male and younger, with an average age of 45.8 years—about four years younger than the overall sample average. When examining the frequency of binge drinking, sports bettors showed disproportionately higher rates of excessive consumption on a monthly, weekly, and even daily basis, while less frequently reporting complete abstinence from binge drinking over the previous 12 months.

One of the study’s most striking findings concerns the magnitude of this association. In logistic regression analyses controlling for variables such as age and race/ethnicity, women who engaged in sports betting were about 14 times more likely to report daily or near-daily binge drinking compared to women who did not bet. Among men, this likelihood was approximately 9 times higher. Even at lower frequencies, such as weekly or monthly binge drinking, sports bettors of both sexes showed significantly higher odds compared to non-bettors, suggesting that the association between betting and excessive alcohol use is not limited to the most extreme cases.

Importantly, this pattern persisted even when compared to individuals who engaged in other forms of gambling not related to sports, such as slot machines, roulette, and lotteries. In other words, there appears to be something specific about sports betting that is linked to particularly risky alcohol consumption behaviors. Previous research has already suggested that sports bettors tend to have a higher propensity for risk-taking behaviors in general,⁵⁻⁶ which may help explain this finding.

The authors acknowledge some limitations of the study: its cross-sectional design does not allow for conclusions about causality (whether betting leads to excessive drinking or vice versa), and the use of online panel sampling methods may limit generalizability. Nevertheless, the findings are consistent with prior studies showing that sports bettors report more symptoms of alcohol use disorder.³⁻⁴

Given the rapid expansion of sports betting—driven by legalization in many U.S. states and, more recently, in countries like Brazil—these results underscore the urgent need for integrated public health policies. Understanding how new betting technologies influence the prevalence and presentation of alcohol-related disorders is essential to protect populations increasingly exposed to this dual risk.

Note: This text is for informational purposes only and is based on recent scientific studies. It does not replace professional medical advice.

References:

1. Grubbs JB, Kraus SW. Binge Drinking Among Sports Gamblers. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(4):e245473. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.5473
2. Grubbs JB, Kraus SW. Symptoms of problem gambling among US adults who wager on sports. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(10):e2239670. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.39670
3. Valenciano-Mendoza E, Mora-Maltas B, Mestre-Bach G, et al. Clinical correlates of sports betting: a systematic review. J Gambl Stud. 2023;39(2):579-624. doi:10.1007/s10899-023-10196-0
4. Grubbs JB, Kraus SW. Sports wagering in the context of addictive disorders: results from a census-matched U.S. sample. Cogent Ment Health. 2023;2(1):2231497. doi:10.1080/28324765.2023.2231497
5. Vieira JL, Coelho SG, Snaychuk LA, Parmar PK, Keough MT, Kim HS. Who makes in-play bets? Investigating the demographics, psychological characteristics, and gambling-related harms of in-play sports bettors. J Behav Addict. 2023;12(2):547-556. doi:10.1556/2006.2023.00030
6. Kim HS, Coelho SG, Vieira JL, Keough MT. Dispositional and contextual correlates of in-play sports betting and related harms: a 2-week ecological momentary assessment study. Psychol Addict Behav. 2023;37(8):1066-1079. doi:10.1037/adb0000948