Ohio problem gambling helpline records uptick in number of calls for 2023

Ohio legalized sports betting in December 2021 but it wasn't before launch on January 1, 2023, when residents of the state were able to place their first retail and online sports bets. Closing in on its first year of legal betting, the state saw an uptick of calls to its problem gambling helpline. The alarming trend was announced by Ohio for Responsible Gambling (ORG).

The organization revealed that after the first year of legal sports betting in Ohio, the number of calls to the state's problem gambling helpline increased by a staggering 55%. ORG estimated that there was a total of 10,637 calls to Ohio's Problem Gambling Helpline throughout last year. For comparison, the number of calls the prior year was only 6,835.

Besides year-over-year, the number of calls last year increased every month when compared to 2022, ORG revealed. For the last month of 2023, there were 1,013 calls to Ohio's Problem Gambling Helpline, a number that was far lower in December 2022 when the calls were only 635.

In addition to the uptick in calls to the state's gambling helpline, ORG warned that the rate of problem gambling in the state has gone up three times since 2012. Citing data from a new survey, the organization said that the number of people estimated to have a gambling disorder increased to 255,000 or some 2.8% of the adult population in the state. On the other hand, the survey uncovered that some 1.8 million residents of the state can fit into a problem gambling, moderate-risk or low-risk category, a number that represents 19.8% of the general adult population.

Michael Buzzelli, associate director with Problem Gambling Network of Ohio, commented on the topic in a statement. "While we knew calls would increase and anticipated this due to the increases seen in other states already operating sports betting, such a dramatic increase was surprising and lets us know there is a lot of work still to be done for responsible gambling advocates statewide," he explained.

Focusing on problem gambling, Buzzelli confirmed that Ohio follows a trend that is observed across the nation with certain groups being at higher risk of developing a gambling problem. According to him, such groups include teenagers, minorities and women over the age of 50. People who are not in a relationship, as well as members of families affected by problem gambling, may also be at increased risk of problem gambling, explained Buzzelli.

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