Sports betting is probably one of the oldest forms of gambling there is. One can easily imagine early hunter-gatherers laying stakes (or steaks) on the outcome of a hunt, and there are certainly records showing that ancient Greeks would bet on the outcomes of sporting events and that early Romans followed suit. Today, we don’t even have to visit a bookmaker or find a friend against whom we can pit or predictive skills. Sites like Iron Bet allow users to have an opportunity to place bets on the outcomes of matches online.

Research results: The majority of Canadians are not susceptible to gambling addiction

Press releases may seem to indicate that gambling addiction is a widespread problem, but bad news sells newspapers. In an interview, psychologist and researcher Dr Mark Griffith remarked that news reporters were inclined to emphasize, or even overstate, negative findings. According to Griffith, saying that most people enjoy betting and don’t suffer negative consequences, simply isn’t newsworthy.

The University of Calgary reports that the percentage of people who suffer from gambling addiction in Canada is comparable to the percentage of people who suffer from alcoholism. As with alcohol use, the majority of people find that gambling or sports betting does not become a compulsive or addictive behaviour.

Do compulsive gamblers have ‘addictive personalities’?

In a study of pathological gamblers, 40% were found to suffer from anxiety disorder, 60% exhibited mood disorders and an amazing 87% had personality disorders. Looking at figures published by The Mood Disorders Society of Canada, Canadians face a 6-9% chance of suffering from a personality disorder. The same report states that there is a 2% chance of suffering from pathological gambling, even given the comparative convenience of online gambling.

Statistics Canada pegs the percentage of people ‘affected’ by problem gambling at 3%, but the discrepancy between this finding and that of The Mood Disorders Society of Canada can be attributed to the fact that the families of problem gamblers are ‘affected’ by their behaviours.

Bringing these figures into perspective, 87% of problem gamblers suffer from a personality disorder, but Canadians have a lower chance of becoming problem gamblers than of suffering from personality disorders. That’s food for thought. Plus, as Dr Griffith reminds us, a ‘problem gambler’ is not necessarily a ‘gambling addict’.

Is sports betting harmful, or just an amusing activity?

For the vast majority of Canadians, sports betting is just a ‘bit of fun’. It doesn’t affect their household budgets significantly, and they can show their support for their favourite teams by literally ‘putting their money where their mouth is’.

So who do you think will win the Grey Cup this year? What will the score be? Would you care to wager something on that? For most people, sports betting is a harmless and amusing pastime – and you stand a better chance of a win than if you play the lotteries!

Additional sources:

http://www.mooddisorderscanada.ca/documents/Media%20Room/Quick%20Facts%203rd%20Edition%20Referenced%20Plain%20Text.pdf