An international group of health experts concluded that existing regulations globally are insufficient to protect the public from the potential harms of widely accessible gamblingThe rise of online betting has led the commercial gambling industry to balloon worldwide, posing a significant threat to public health, according to a new report.
The report highlighted the role online gambling has played in the rising availability of commercial gambling as a whole. It named legal sports betting apps like DraftKings or FanDuel as examples in the U.S., along with online casinos and slot machines.“The accessibility is now 24/7,” said Heather Wardle, a researcher on the commission and a professor of urban studies, social policy and health at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.
DraftKings, which declined to comment, offers similar protections. Its website advises users to “always set reasonable limits” and recommends that people “avoid gaming if you are in recovery from any dependency.” Both companies follow state regulations. The report notes that various states and countries already have such measures. Belgium, the Netherlands and Ontario, for example, have varying restrictions on gambling advertising, including online gambling. Germany limits brick-and-mortar casinos’ operating hours. Spain, Sweden and Norway have mandatory loss limits for online betting. And in Massachusetts, Illinois, Virginia and Pennsylvania, a percentage of in-state operators’ revenues goes to gambling rehabilitation funds.