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Problem gambling on the rise in Massachusetts, new report warns
Monthly gamblers in Massachusetts are reporting increased sports betting and a rise in gambling-related harms.
Monthly gamblers in Massachusetts are reporting increased involvement in sports betting, more intense gambling behavior, and a rise in gambling-related harms, according to the latest research conducted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
However, the findings also suggest that regular gamblers are developing more negative views about gambling overall.
These insights come from two online surveys conducted in spring and fall 2024 by the Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) team.
The data builds on previous annual surveys from 2022 and 2023, offering an early look at how the legalization of sports betting – implemented in early 2023 – is affecting residents who gamble frequently.
Changing attitudes on gambling
Rachel Volberg, an epidemiology researcher and principal investigator for SEIGMA, presented the survey results to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) on July 31. Volberg noted that one of the most notable changes was in how gamblers perceive the activity itself.
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“Between 2022 and 2023, we saw a decline in the proportion of monthly gamblers who believed that all types of gambling should be legal and a small increase in the proportion who believed that all types of gambling should be illegal,” she said.
According to the surveys, the percentage of monthly gamblers who believe gambling causes more harm than benefit rose from 48% in 2022 to 53% in 2023 and early 2024, then reached 56% by the fall of 2024.
Volberg attributed the shift in sentiment partly to the heavy media attention and aggressive marketing efforts that began before legalization and have continued since.
How legal sports betting has influenced gambler behavior
The introduction of legal sports betting has also clearly influenced behavior. Overall, participation in sports betting among all survey respondents increased from 16.7% in March 2022 (prior to legalization) to 26.9% in March 2023, and jumped again to 32.6% in the 2024 surveys.
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Social sports betting – placing bets informally with friends or family – declined from nearly half (49.3%) of monthly gamblers in 2022 to just 32.2% in fall 2024.
At the same time, legal betting through licensed sportsbooks in Massachusetts became more common, with a corresponding drop in exclusive use of illegal sports betting platforms – from 13.5% in 2022 to 6.8% in 2023. That number ticked up slightly to 8.3% in 2024.
‘These indicators…are not going in the right direction’
Perhaps most concerning, researchers reported a steady increase in those experiencing gambling problems: 20.9% in 2022, 25.6% in 2023, and 28% by fall 2024.
What kinds of gambling problems have increased? Financial issues among monthly gamblers rose from 18% in 2022 to 25% in 2024. Relationship and family-related harms jumped even more sharply, from 13.9% to 27.2% during the same period.
What are the solutions?
The report emphasized the need for targeted harm reduction strategies – especially for sports bettors – as well as expanded access to tools that promote responsible gambling, particularly for individuals facing financial or interpersonal challenges.
“These indicators from the monthly gamblers in the online panels are not going in the right direction, which is definitely a concern when considering the impacts of legalized sports betting on the population at large,” Volberg said.
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