The recent launch of sports betting in Massachusetts has come with a barrage of gambling ads and promotions that residents have encountered on TV, radio, social media and more.
Apps such as Fanduel, MGM and DraftKings, which is headquartered in Boston, have used familiar faces like David Ortiz, Kevin Garnett and Zdeno Chára to push people to place bets.
“For those that have struggled with addiction relative to gambling, can you imagine the situation they are in right now?” state Sen. John Keenan said on Greater Boston. “Everywhere they turn they are just being hit with this advertising.”
Keenan said sports betting ads have almost become inescapable, appearing on everything from trash cans to billboards. He said the constant exposure becomes an issue for those at risk of addiction and those who have struggled with gambling addiction in the past.
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Keenan said the strict regulations that exist for ads and promotions surrounding tobacco, alcohol and cannabis products are not in place for sports betting. He said companies use terminology such as "no sweat bet" or "risk-free betting" to be deceptive or misleading to customers. He cautioned that "the house always wins" in the long-term.
Victor Ortiz, director of the Office of Problem Gambling Services, said gambling addiction shares many of the characteristics of substance addictions.
“A few years ago it was integrated as a substance addiction,” Ortiz said. “When you examine gambling addiction and substance addiction there is a profound overlap.”
Ortiz said his office has approached problem gambling treatment with similar strategies to substance abuse treatment.
“We integrated the [gambling] helpline three years ago with the substance abuse helpline,” Ortiz said.
Keenan said what remains to be seen is the impact gambling addiction in the commonwealth will have on things like domestic violence and other issues in the home, especially any effects on children.
“All of that is a silent cost and it’s hard to quantify it. But we know it’s there,” Keenan said.
Watch: Sports betting ads are everywhere. Are those promotions really risk-free?
