Currently, Arkansas is among the states that offer casino gambling, as well as legal sports betting. Retail betting outlets are available at the state’s three casinos, but mobile betting is also an option for residents of the state through Betly Sportsbook, Oaklawn Sports and BetSaracen.
However, the expansion of wagering sounds the alarm about the impact on consumers and warns about the dangers of excessive gambling. Fueling those fears, Arkansas reported an uptick in the number of calls to the state gambling help hotline.
Problem Gambling Calls Rise by 22% in 2023
A comparison of data from 2022 and 2023 reveals that the number of calls increased notably, a new report suggests. As announced by CBS19, quoting data from the Arkansas Problem Gambling Council (ARPG), a non-profit organization that provides support to people affected by problem gambling, a significant increase was observed year-over-year in the number of problem gambling calls.
Arkansas launched retail sports betting in July 2019, while in March 2022, the state introduced mobile betting. It is highly likely that the convenience of mobile betting applications helped propel the number of problem gambling calls year over year. Focusing on ARPG’s data, a total of 7,000 problem gambling calls were recorded in 2023. Compared to the problem gambling calls in 2022, the result from last year marked a 22% increase.
The aforementioned increase was anticipated, considering the increase in the money wagered on sports in Arkansas. Although mobile betting operated for some nine months in 2022, the state reported $186 million in betting handle. While the 2022 result isn’t directly comparable to 2023, the first full year of mobile betting, the reported handle at the time soared to $404 million. Approximately 90% of that total was spent via mobile betting apps.
Additional Funding May Be Needed
Vena Schexnayder, ARPG’s executive director, spoke about the different “crisis calls” the Council deals with on a daily basis. In the words of the executive, people affected by gambling would often turn to assistance in some cases with even basic needs such as food or housing.
Schexnayder added that casino apps over the last years contributed to the rise of problem gambling calls. However, she added: “With the sports betting increase, we want to be prepared to get the workforce prepared with mental health specialists, to be able to have the right education to take these kinds of calls and also see an increase in programming and financial literacy for our organization.”
ARPG’s pointed to the ease of use of mobile apps, revealing that customers are a few clicks away from placing a wager. This, according to Schexnayder should also be the case for the access to problem gambling treatment and support. Finally, Schexnayder expressed concern about ARPG’s funding, highlighting that the non-profit is trying to find new ways to fund its programs amid the alarming increase in gambling-related calls.