Early data released by researchers from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) found that a “high number” of sports bettors in Colorado exhibited signs of serious gambling problems.
Shane Kraus, a UNLV psychology professor and lead researcher on the project, said the study used 500 random Coloradans, including gamblers and non-gamblers.
According to the interim results, 4% of Coloradans bet on sports and 7% of those gamblers reported serious problems. Colorado sports bettors wagered $6.4 billion during the 2025-2026 fiscal year, generating $47 million in state tax revenue.
“When you look at the (total) sports betting market, the prevalence rate is kind of high,” Kraus told CDC Gaming in an interview Monday. “It’s concerning. It’s not a good thing.”
Colorado now has a benchmark in terms of problem gambling, said Kraus, adding that “we have to lower it.” Colorado’s population is more than 6.03 million.
Kraus also said problem gambling was 2% higher among women. At this point, he couldn’t explain the reasons behind the higher rate for female bettors, saying they’re “just digging into it now.”
According to preliminary results shared with CDC Gaming, 41.4% of the Coloradans who participated in the study said the lottery was their most common gambling activity, followed by 17.4% sports betting, 16.2% slots and video poker, 11.6% casino table games, and 11.4% bingo.
Kraus said 13.9% admitted to gambling online, which is illegal in Colorado. Seven-point-three percent of participants also purchased contracts on prediction markets.
“Not everyone has a problem with gambling,” Kraus said. “The small percentage who do aren’t doing great and those are the ones we worry about.”
UNLV researchers also studied 1,400 gamblers and nongamblers nationwide and are currently evaluating the data that was collected. The interim results were compiled after the World Cup and the final results will not be released until after the Super Bowl in February.
The broader study is examining who is betting, why, how much, and how advertisements affect people’s behavior. Kraus described the research as the “most comprehensive study ever in the U.S.”
Kraus and a team of UNLV researchers recently shared their interim findings from the study, funded by the Colorado Problem Gambling Coalition, with regulators and problem-gambling advocates.
The focus on advertising reflects a compressive research gap on how sports betting ads influence gamblers. Kraus said he wasn’t convinced that ads are always misleading, but researchers might find some of the ads are misleading.
According to the preliminary findings, 37.5% of survey participants watched at least some of the World Cup Final between Spain and Argentina, with 59.4% saying they saw sportsbook advertising at least once during the final week.
The research also found 35.1% saw sportsbook promotional offers at least once during the week of the World Cup Final, with 7.3% placing a real-money bet on the final match.
Advertisements promoting bet-$50-get-$10 and first-bet cashback deals were viewed as more likely to be used and more likely to encourage overspending than 30% profit-boost messaging.
Kraus said everyone needs to do a better job of framing gambling as entertainment, not a lifestyle.
Researchers also urged a research-action partnership that builds a strong research partnership among the Colorado Division of Gaming, researchers, treatment providers, people with lived experiences, and other community partners.
Other suggestions include: identifying where risk is concentrated; testing interventions before scaling them; creating a shared Colorado evidence base; translating findings quickly; and producing research-to-practice briefs for regulators, clinicians, prevention programs, and community organizations.
