Legalized Gambling Leaves Wake of Addiction Treatment Needs
Fr. John Jaddou gives a talk at a high school on the rise of gambling and online betting.
By Paul Natinsky
In 2018, newly legalized sports gambling exploded across the country. With 34 states legalizing wagering on athletic contests, companies such as DraftKings and FanDuel swooped in with easy-to-use apps, glitzy ads and magnetic celebrity endorsements. Tie-ins with professional sports teams, leagues, and networks helped further move sports betting out of the shady world of bookies and loan sharks and onto a bright playground of easy winnings, fun gimmick bets, and enticing incentives.
Ease-of-use enhancements accompanied the image makeover. No longer did a bettor have to get dressed and head to a shady bar to put a dime on the Lions. Getting down on a game is now as simple as a click on a smartphone. You can even make bets on a game during the game.
With stigma evaporated and betting made virtual, the numbers are what you’d expect them to be—way up. The sports betting industry in the United States posted a record $10.92 billion in revenue in 2023, a 44.5% increase from 2022, which also set a record, according to an ESPN report. In Michigan, where sports betting has been legal since 2020, the numbers reflect the national boom.
When all forms of legalized gambling are considered, the Great Lakes State ranks in the top 10, racking up $1.92 billion in gross receipts for all forms of legal gambling and a No. 1 ranking from online gaming alone. This windfall netted the state more than $300 million in tax revenue last year.
This spike in online gambling, particularly in a state that runs several lotteries and hosts casinos throughout its borders, has created greatly increased opportunities for those who are susceptible to develop destructive gambling addictions.
“In the first year since the legalization of sports betting and online gambling in Michigan, more than 4,400 calls were made to Michigan’s problem gambling helpline in 2021. This is nearly triple the number of calls received in 2020, the year before online gambling was approved,” reported the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services one year after online gambling became legal in the state. “Referrals for people to receive gambling treatment also grew significantly, from 295 referrals in 2020 to 420 referrals last year, a 42% increase,” the agency reported.
MDHHS further reported, “While social gambling isn’t a problem for most, for some it provides a sense of control and escape which, over time, can affect other areas of life. For youth, this risk is especially concerning with the rise of online gaming and virtual connection during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rate of problem gambling among high school students is twice that of adults, and someone gambling by age 12 will be four times more likely to develop a gambling addiction. Additionally, more than two years into a global pandemic, the impact of social distancing has left many with idle time, frustrations and anxiety.”
Fr. John Jaddou’s experience is reflective of the pulls and perils of gambling addiction, especially among young people. He annually delivers a homily about gambling on Super Bowl Sunday, urging those who play to ensure that it is nothing more than a fun diversion. He also tries to bring the message of caution to Chaldean youth groups across the Metro Detroit area once a year.
Gambling, per se, is not a sin, said Jaddou. It is the disconnection, the retreat from life’s important events and sense of community, that is dangerous.
Jaddou would like to see gambling issues addressed more frequently and help to extend help beyond individuals to groups. Regarding present help available through the Church, he cites The Parable of the Prodigal Son, maintaining that the Church is there to listen and help when the parishioner is ready to face a gambling problem directly.
Part of Jaddou’s passion about youths and gambling troubles stems from a chapter long in his past. From the time he was 15 until a crisis at 17, Jaddou, who is now 35, gambled on sports. He bet daily on NBA games, dispensed gambling advice and had a bookie. Betting on sports was part of the high school culture in which he and his friends were immersed.
Jaddou’s moment of crisis came when he got in over his head and stole $300 from his father to pay a bookie who threatened to beat him up. Deeply ashamed, Jaddou never gambled again.
He says the uncertain economy, along with aggressive sports gambling promotions, have increased problem gambling in his congregation. He says he’s hearing more confessions about gambling addictions lately and that there are not nearly enough resources available to address this trend within the Church and the broader community.
A 2020 survey revealed that drug and alcohol addiction is about 7 times more likely to occur than gambling addiction; but government expenditure to treat gambling addictions is 338 times less than that appropriated for substance abuse treatment.
When it comes to the timeliness of addressing gambling’s downside, it seems numbers don’t lie.