Connecticut problem gamblers drive 50% of sports betting revenue

Connecticut has taken stock of its gambling industry in a new report published by the government and conducted by Gemini Research, Inc, and headed by Rachel A. Volberg, PhD, the President of the company as well as a Research Professor in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The study has involved several other researchers and academics who have taken a harder look at the gambling industry in the state after the legalization of much of the available gambling verticals in 2021.

A worrying trend has emerged with some 1.8% of the population reporting suffering from gambling addiction or problem gambling, or 50,000 state residents. Yet, these numbers are compounded by the fact that problem gamblers also account for an estimated 50% of the sports betting revenue in the state.

This is not all, as another 139,000 people are at risk of developing a more serious form of gambling addiction. Commissioned by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), the research outlines a trend that would need to be addressed and it also indicates that Connecticut may have missed a chance to prevent an early intervention and screening problem.

"The proportion of Connecticut gambling revenue from the 1.8% of people with gambling problems ranges from 12.4% for lottery products to 51.0% for sports betting, and 21.5% for all legalized gambling," Gemini’s survey explained. Yet this problem is not particularly new.

The gambling industry is known to have relied on high-roller gamblers for a long time, with companies such as Kindred Group, for example, trying to actively reduce the amount of harmful gambling. Connecticut’s survey also dives deeper into explaining the nature of problem gambling such as it is.

For one, problem gamblers turn to gambling for several reasons, such as to "compete or for the challenge," or because they want to "escape stress," the study explains. However, it also put paid to allegations that problem gambling in itself is the root of increased crime, with crime caused by problem gambling remaining "fairly uncommon," the survey states.

However, the survey does not completely ignore a slight rise in property crime closer to state casinos compared to other parts of Connecticut. As to the rate of gambling, the study argues that the legalization of gambling is only partially responsible for the current problems, as they existed before legalization as well, and were mostly unaddressed because of insufficient funding as well as lack of awareness about the issue.

As things stand, Connecticut is on a good path, but additional action needs to be taken. "In general, it can be said that problem gambling treatment and prevention in Connecticut has been quite proactive and provides a good model for the rest of the country," the study explained. You may read the survey in its entirety here. The document is 205 pages long and it cost $1.2m to collate the data and present the findings, and is by far the most comprehensive dive into Connecticut’s gambling industry.

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