{"id":109717,"date":"2026-05-14T10:02:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T10:02:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/14\/prediction-markets-sports-betting-weigh-on-mental-health\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T10:02:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T10:02:42","slug":"prediction-markets-sports-betting-weigh-on-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/14\/prediction-markets-sports-betting-weigh-on-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Prediction Markets, Sports Betting Weigh on Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"post-content__sub-title\">\n        Posted on: May 13, 2026, 07:34h.\u00a0\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"post-content__sub-title\">\n        Last updated on: May 14, 2026, 04:09h.\n    <\/p>\n<div class=\"post-info-panel\">\n<div class=\"post-info-panel__author-holder js-open-close\">\n<div class=\"post-info-panel__author-logo\">\n                <img alt=\"Avatar photo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-11-50x50.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-11-100x100.png 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-50 photo\" height=\"50\" width=\"50\" decoding=\"async\"\/>            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Baptist Health South Florida says prediction markets, sports wagering can have mental health consequences<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Accessibility is part of the problem<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>May is National Mental Health Awareness Month<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr\/>\n<p>May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, and one US-based healthcare organization is taking the opportunity to call attention to the mental health consequences associated with prediction markets and online sports betting.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_316366\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-316366\" data-style=\"width: 858px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-post-thumbnail-858xAUTO wp-image-316366\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/shutterstock_1931774414-1.jpg-858x572.jpg\" alt=\"sports bettors binge drinking UNLV\" width=\"858\" height=\"572\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/shutterstock_1931774414-1.jpg-858x572.jpg 858w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/shutterstock_1931774414-1.jpg-430x287.jpg 430w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/shutterstock_1931774414-1.jpg-302x200.jpg 302w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/shutterstock_1931774414-1.jpg-238x158.jpg 238w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/shutterstock_1931774414-1.jpg-194x128.jpg 194w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/shutterstock_1931774414-1.jpg.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 858px) 100vw, 858px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-316366\" class=\"text-description\">A stock photo of sports bettors. A healthcare group says sports betting and prediction markets can weigh on mental health. (Image: Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In a new report, Baptist Health South Florida notes the recent emergence of yes\/no exchanges, and the proliferation of legalized sports wagering is changing how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/credit-scores-down-in-sports-betting-border-states-says-ny-fed\/\">some people interact with money<\/a>, including increased risk-taking and compulsive behavior, both of which can have dire mental health consequences.<\/p>\n<p>The healthcare group says part of the problem is increased accessibility, primarily due to the proliferation of smartphones.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"main-blockquote\">\n<p>Accessibility is one of the biggest changes we\u2019ve seen,\u201d observes <a href=\"https:\/\/baptisthealth.net\/doctors\/rachel-v-f-rohaidy\/869420\">Rachel Rohaidy, M.D.<\/a>, a psychiatrist with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/baptisthealth.net\/services\/brain-and-spine-care\/about-us\/miami-neuroscience-institute\">Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute<\/a>. \u201cWhen gambling moves from a destination to something in your pocket, the barrier to entry disappears, and so does the natural stopping point.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sports wagering is legal in 39 states and Washington, DC while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/polymarket-drops-waitlist-goes-live-in-us-for-select-users\/\">prediction markets<\/a>, at least for now, are available in all 50 states.<\/p>\n<h2>Prediction Markets Present Illusion of Control<\/h2>\n<p>In fairness, not all prediction market traders or sports bettors suffer from mental health issues. However various studies indicate that younger people, particularly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fdu-study-says-young-men-vulnerable-to-online-betting-problems\/\">young men, are vulnerable to the perception that betting or trading event contracts can supplement or replace their incomes.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cPeople may believe they\u2019re making informed decisions, but the emotional and behavioral patterns can mirror those of traditional gambling,\u201d said Wald in the report.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Some prediction market critics claim the industry frames itself as offering sophisticated financial products when in reality it\u2019s no more than sports betting by a different name, according to the naysayers. As so many critics have noted of late, Wald says the lines between betting and investing are increasingly blurred.<\/p>\n<h2>Understanding the Dopamine Effect<\/h2>\n<p>Whether the prediction market and sports wagering industries are doing so intentionally is for courts and experts to decide, but these companies are effective at triggering dopamine release in users. In simple terms, dopamine is the brain\u2019s chemical rewards center and is a major point of emphasis in addiction treatment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In the cases of trading and wagering, dopamine can be released not just through a winning ticket, but in anticipation that a bet or an event contract will go the right way. That\u2019s problematic for compulsive bettors and traders because some end up in positions where they\u2019re chasing \u201chighs\u201d as much or more than they\u2019re seeking positive financial outcomes.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe often see patients who aren\u2019t chasing the money as much as they\u2019re chasing the feeling \u2014 the excitement, the distraction, the temporary escape from stress,\u201d said Rohaidy in the Baptist Health report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/healthcare-group-prediction-markets-sports-betting-weigh-on-mental-health\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Posted on: May 13, 2026, 07:34h.\u00a0 Last updated on: May 14, 2026, 04:09h. Baptist Health South Florida says prediction markets, sports wagering can have mental<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":109718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gambling"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109717\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}