Sports betting is one of the world’s fastest-growing industries, continuing to attract millions of males who want to have fun and profit from their favorite sports – legally.

Sports betting is now legal in approximately 30 states in the United States, including 18 states that allow online sports gambling.

The majority of men gamble occasionally and in a responsible manner, managing to set time and money limits.

However, whether in sports or in general, gambling can quickly spiral out of control, affecting men’s mental health and overall well-being.

According to the Sport Science Institute, student-athletes are more likely than their peers to be drawn to sports betting.

Overindulging in online sports betting can have various adverse consequences, including anxiety and depression, reduced work productivity, financial difficulties, and strained relationships.

Men’s mental health and well-being have been raised as a concern because more and more people in the United States are betting on sports through online sites.

Sports betting can easily become an addiction because the line between passion and obsession is usually very thin. This means that a little online sports betting can soon enough turn into an addiction that affects your mood, health, and daily life.

How to Recognize a Sports Gambling Addiction

In order to protect your mental health, it is essential to know when online sports betting turns into more than just entertainment.

What is an Addiction?

Addiction is a disease. As such, it can be challenging to overcome and heal. Many people who struggle with addiction, whether gambling, alcohol, drugs, or sex, compulsively pursue the addictive behavior to satisfy an emotional need as the brain becomes wired to crave the addiction regardless of the negative consequences such behavior might cause.

In other words, a gambler may begin gambling for the sake of entertainment. However, betting can quickly become an addictive form of coping—a gambler uses it to lose inhibitions, relieve stress, and alleviate anxiety and depression rather than enjoy sports betting itself.

Online sports betting is more than entertainment if you:

• Are preoccupied with online sports betting

• Borrow money to bet

• Chase your losses (which, unfortunately, usually results in more losses)

• Gambling is a way to escape problems.

• Pull the money to wager from the household budget for other purposes (vacation, your kid’s education, home renovation, etc.)

• Lose track of time while gambling online

• Drink and gamble

• Lie about your losses or the time you spend gambling

• Gamble to escape sadness, anger, or other unpleasant emotions

• Jeopardize relationships because of gambling

• Having to bet with increasing amounts of money to achieve the same thrill

• Risk work opportunities because of betting

How Online Sports Betting Can Affect Your Mental Health

Gambling can lead to anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem, among other things.

Sports Betting and Anxiety

While some people use sports betting to relieve stress, compulsive gambling is closely linked to stress and anxiety disorders.

If you are a compulsive gambler, you may try to conceal your gambling from family and friends by making excuses or lying about where you spend your time and money.

Or, gambling can cause you to lose money and experience severe financial strain. This can put a lot of stress on your mood and relationships, leading to problems in your marriage, family relationships, and friendships.

Furthermore, you may spend nights awake betting online, which can exacerbate anxiety and impair your academic or professional performance. Failure to meet academic and professional goals can only result in diminished self-confidence and more anxiety.

Instead of using sports betting to relieve anxiety symptoms, learn healthy strategies to manage your stress, such as relaxation exercises or spending time in nature.

Betting and Depression

The connection between depression and gambling is usually two-way. Some people may use gambling to escape negative thoughts or upsetting feelings. So, depression can put you at risk of developing a gambling problem, as the thought of winning money may sound like a good antidote to feeling down.

Like any other addictive behavior, gambling activates the brain’s reward system, stimulating the production of endorphins and adrenaline, which further encourages gambling. However, as gamblers develop a tolerance for gambling over time, such behavior becomes less rewarding, so they need to engage in gambling more intensively to achieve the same pleasure.

However, a recent survey suggests that people with gambling issues are twice as likely to experience emotional distress and suffer from depression than those who don’t gamble.

Gambling is not a natural stress-reducer like exercise, art, or mindfulness meditation. So, excessive online sports betting can only increase stress, mess with your mood, trigger anxiety and depression, and harm your relationships.

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