Missouri will launch sports betting in December. Experts state it's not prepared for the effects

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Legal sports gambling is set to start in Missouri on December 1, more than a year after voters authorized legalization. Many gamblers are excited for it to start, however addiction health supporters are concerned about quickly accessible mobile betting.

Legal sports wagering is concerning Missouri, and wagering platforms and state officials alike are preparing.

So are those who help individuals addicted to betting.

Missouri Gaming Commission Chair Jan Zimmerman stated lots of people are excitedly anticipating the start on Dec. 1 since citizens authorized it by a narrow margin last November.

"The individuals who will participate in sports betting, they're anxious," Zimmerman stated. "They want to get it going. They wish that we were going to have it live before Dec. 1, for sure."

Others are concerned about the effect that quickly available mobile wagering will have on gambling dependency in the state.

"With sports wagering, you'll be able to place a bet from your bed room, your living space chair, your cars and truck in the parking area, on break at work, literally anytime of the yohaig code day or night," stated Keith Spare, chair of the Missouri Alliance to Curb Problem Gambling.

Spare said he is not as concerned about big increases in the variety of bettors as he has to do with the increased speed and seriousness of effects. The repercussions of issue gambling include personal bankruptcy, household and relationship issues and even suicide.

More than 60% of Missouri adults gamble, and Spare stated 1 in 5 meet the requirements for a gaming disorder, according to a 2022 study.

The study, conducted by a Kansas Local government problem betting committee, also discovered that amongst disordered bettors, 27.5% either attempted or considered suicide.

Sparse psychological health resources for bettors

Gambling-specific mental health treatment in Missouri is hard to come by.

In 2021, one of the last state-funded compulsive betting treatment programs ended. Daniel Smith was the scientific director for the BetNoMore Gambling Programs at Assessment and Counseling Solutions in St. Louis. The program, offered at no expense to Missouri homeowners, ended when he retired. He stated it was the last of about 6 comparable programs in Missouri.

"The greatest problem that occurs with someone looking for assistance is that they go to a well meaning therapist who does not understand anything about gaming," Smith stated. "The state of treatment in Missouri, I hope, will change."

He said there are state-funded counselors offered who are trained in gambling therapy, however none focused on betting.

One company that does use gambling-specific services is across the country online treatment company Kindbridge. Founder and CEO Daniel Umfleet said he started the company since he discovered a lack of problem betting treatment throughout the country.

Kindbridge provides services in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Umfleet stated it has three certified clinicians in Missouri, in addition to a handful of licensed gambling counselors.

Kindbridge has actually seen 30 Missouri locals in the past year. For people, the expense per appointment is $195, which some insurer will cover.

Umfleet, who is originally from St. Louis, said he is concerned that Missouri isn't developing brand-new programs to deal with an influx of issue bettors and depending on existing resources.

"It kind of appears like there's not an actually strong strategy on what to do when this promotion code goes live, and then 6 months, 9 months, 12 months later on, when individuals start connecting in more volume," Umfleet said.

Similarly to Spare, Umfleet stated it is hard to say whether there will be a major increase of gamblers in Missouri. Many people are currently wagering illegally or driving throughout state lines to Kansas or Illinois to place bets.

"I believe you're visiting more visibility and more volume of people migrating over to the legal market," Umfleet said.

He stated that similarly to other states that have actually legislated sports wagering, there has been an "onslaught of advertising activity" in Missouri that exposes more individuals of a variety of demographics to sports wagering.

A new market

Recently, ads for sportsbooks from companies like DraftKings and FanDuel have actually emerged on Missouri signboards, TVs and social media feeds.

This remains in part since Google updated its policy to allow for business to promote their sportsbooks starting Aug. 15.

Additionally, the announcement that DraftKings and Circa Sports received the yohaig code 2 desirable untethered licenses from the Missouri Gaming Commission stirred up restored attention on the topic. The licenses allow the companies to operate their sportsbooks without partnering with a casino or sports team.

FanDuel, which was expected by many to receive the second license over the smaller Circa Sports, revealed its collaboration with St. Louis City SC on the exact same day the untethered licenses were announced.

Zimmerman stated the commission decided to award Circa the second license due to the fact that it provided a different betting experience.

"We simply felt that it was going to be using our people something different, instead of FanDuel and DraftKings, which we felt were practically the exact same," Zimmerman said.

Circa offers a greater bet limit. It puts its focus on high-spending bettors.

Spare, of the Missouri Alliance to Curb Problem Gambling, stated there must be more advertisements promoting gambling treatment.

"I believe people are more familiar with the gambling advertising for where you can bet than they are of where you can get help," Spare said.

Kindbridge teams up with betting platforms in hopes of more straight supplying assistance to problem bettors. Umfleet stated that if a user self-excludes from a platform like DraftKings or connects to customer support with concerns, they will be straight referred to Kindbridge and go through a diagnostic process.

Zimmerman stated she was pleased that online betting platforms have functions like this promotion code integrated in.

"I was actually delighted to hear that the market pays a lot of attention to folks who may seem like they have a problem or they have a problem," Zimmerman stated.

But Smith stated in his experience with clients, the gaming industry does not have the customer's best interest at heart.

"The prevention activities that both casinos and online platforms have actually are put there to provide the impression of good citizenship," Smith said. "They truly don't do much. There's constantly a backdoor around."

In addition to therapy issue gamblers, Smith is a previous gambler himself. He stated the ease of having the ability to put a bet in the house would likely have worsened the severity of his gambling.