Calls logged by the Problem Gambling Network of Ohio and their 1-800-GAMBLER hotline have exploded.
“As we can imagine, numbers to that Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline have dramatically increased since the rollout of sports betting on January first,” said Michael Buzzelli, Associate Director of Problem Gambling Network of Ohio. “We went from about a little more than five hundred to fifteen hundred so we tripled.”
There was an uptick in calls in 2012 when casino gambling became legal.
Now, technology and sports betting itself changed everything with 90% of sports bets placed on cell phone apps.
