UNLV Cautions That Drinking and Sports Betting Don’t Mix Well

Academics may not be binge drinkers themselves, but they excel at analyzing trends and data. One such trend is the correlation between increased sports betting behavior and higher alcohol consumption.

This solution may not be immediately striking, but for the University of Nevada Las Vegas, it is. Associate professor of psychology Shane W. Kraus, who works at UNLV’s Behavioral Addictions Lab, has published a new study explaining how sports gambling and drinking affect individuals who engage in both at the same time. In Kraus’ words, when you drink, your gambling goes up, plain and simple. However, the opposite is also true.

The Link Between Alcohol and Sports Betting

“Your betting goes up, your drinking follows. They’re both intertwined; they’re kind of woven, in a sense. It’s like double trouble,” Kraus adds, arguing that one activity fuels the other and vice versa.

The study, titled “Binge Drinking Among Sports Gamblers” and published on the JAMA Open Network, surveyed 4,300 adults in the United States in 2022, 3,300 of whom confirmed they had drunk alcohol, and 1,800 said they had gambled within the last 12 months leading to the interviews.

According to Kraus and his colleagues, people who gambled on sports were 1.9 times more likely to report consuming alcohol in excess, defined as five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women.

The correlation between the two activities is not too surprising to Kraus, who argues that both are rooted in dopamine, which makes it logical for them to influence each other. What is interesting, though, is that once a person engages in one activity, their chances of engaging in the other also increase.

Kraus is also aware of the difficulty in helping people who start drinking and betting to quit either or both. His goal, however, is to prevent this behavior from developing in the first place.

Study Reveals Connection Between Sports Gamblers and Excessive Drinking

While drinking and placing bets may not be intrinsically harmful, it’s still important to take precautions to avoid getting addicted to the dopamine rush, Kraus argues. Gamblers need to be mindful of the risks, using various tools and limits to ensure that excessiveness does not negatively impact their personal lives, for example.

It’s even better to place a wager on a sports competition before considering drinking. Kraus also notes that young men are particularly susceptible to this behavior and points out that data is still missing about older individuals, as his research has not yet studied this group.

When asked if sports leagues intentionally promote beer to create a feedback loop between betting and drinking, Kraus says he isn’t sure, but it would make sense. However, it might be a good idea to consider targeting alcohol ads next—after all, smoking ads have gradually been eliminated. Safer gambling could lead to less drinking, and safer alcohol consumption could mean less betting. Ultimately, prevention should remain the key focus.