Twelve grants will fund studies on gambling’s effects on finances, mental health, household formation, advertising response and state tax revenue as mobile sports betting expands across the U.S.
Arnold Ventures said it has awarded about $2.6 million across 12 research grants to support independent analysis of the fast-growing U.S. sports betting market, with projects examining financial well-being, household formation, mental health, consumer behavior and state tax revenue. The Washington-based philanthropy said the studies are intended to help policymakers assess how the spread of online sports betting has affected constituents and what steps may reduce harm. The grants span institutions including Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, UCLA, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Indiana University, the Urban Institute and multiple University of Wisconsin affiliates. Research topics include how bettors respond to parlay odds, near misses, promotions and financial shocks; whether betting advertising drives app downloads and engagement; and whether legalization is linked to changes in credit card delinquency, financial distress, eviction filings, foreclosure rates, marriage rates, suicide rates, mental health diagnoses, prescription use, behavioral health spending and tax collections. Justin Milner, Arnold Ventures' Executive Vice President of Evidence & Evaluation, said smartphone access has made sports betting so widespread that many Americans effectively carry a casino in their pocket. The corrected release said an earlier version had omitted the name of one principal investigator and a related hyperlink.