This piece is part of a series of stories about today’s sports-betting boom and how to combat a gambling addiction. To read the rest of the stories, click here.
WE ASKED 3,800 American men about their practices and perceptions around gambling. Of the 1,500 who admitted to placing a sports bet in the past year, here’s what they told us.
4 in 5 say they spend up to 6 hours a day gambling. The majority of men who bet daily are: white; ages 25 to 34; living in Florida, New York, California, or Pennsylvania.
56% of men prefer to bet on professional sports versus college sports, though 39% say they bet on both.
Millennials bet more frequently than any other age group.
More millennial Black men bet frequently than millennial white men.
34% think there need to be fewer betting commercials during sports games.
38% think sports broadcasters should not discuss anything betting related on air.
The majority of guys who are currently in debt from sports betting make $100k to $150k per year.
Top mental-health effects are stress, anxiety, and depression.
4 in 5 guys feel anxious while betting on sports.
Top physical-health effects are headaches/migraines, high blood pressure, and weight gain.
METHODOLOGY: Men’s Health conducted this survey of 1,500 men in the U.S. who reported placing a sports bet within the past 12 months. The data collection period spanned from May 26 to June 5, 2023. To gather responses, the survey was distributed to 3,807 individuals using Momentive, Inc., San Mateo, California. The margin of error for this survey is ±3% at a 95% confidence level. momentive.ai.
If you or someone you know may be struggling with a gambling addiction, contact 1-800-GAMBLER. Ready to take the next step? Book an appointment with Kindbridge Behavioral Health, and receive a 20 percent discount on your first therapy session using the code “MensHealth20.” Make sure to also include Men’s Health as the referral source on the intake form.
This article originally appears in the September 2023 issue of Men’s Health.
Deputy Editor
Rachel Epstein is the Deputy Editor at Men’s Health, where she oversees, edits, and assigns content across MensHealth.com. She previously held roles at Marie Claire and Coveteur. Offline, she’s likely watching a Heat game or finding a new coffee shop.
Comments are closed.