A new study shows that people who engage in sports betting are likelier to binge drink alcohol than those who don’t. The joint study titled “Binge Drinking Among Sports Gamblers” from the University of New Mexico (UNM) and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) accumulated responses from 4,363 individuals.
Binge drinking was defined as a person having at least five drinks in a single sitting. The study found that there was no difference between males and females when it came to their level of binge drinking if they were bettors. Previous research has shown that gamblers are likelier to drink than non-gamblers and that people will consume more alcohol when they’re watching sports.
gambling addiction isn’t the only risk of engaging in sports betting
One of the study’s co-authors, UNM Associate Professor and Center on Alcohol, Substance Use, and Addictions Investigator Joshua Grubbs said that the findings highlight how gambling addiction isn’t the only risk of engaging in sports betting.
The report suggests that people have a plan in place about how many bets they are going to place before they start drinking. Another of the study’s co-authors, UNLV Psychology Professor and Behavioral Addictions Lab Director Shane Kraus, suggests that bettors compare the results of their wagering when sober to when they’re drinking, concluding that these people typically then realize “they make dumber bets when they’re drunk.”