States that legalized online sports betting saw increases in antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication use, along with outpatient diagnoses of depression and anxiety, a study published Oct. 14 in JAMA Psychiatry found.
Researchers at the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health analyzed employer-sponsored health insurance claims from January 2016 to December 2023. The study compared 22 states that legalized online sports betting between 2018 and 2022 with 13 states that had not legalized it by the end of 2023.
Here are four things to know:
1. After legalization, the probability of an outpatient depression diagnosis increased 6.73% for men and 5.47% for women, relative to sample averages. The probability of antidepressant medication use rose 5.44% for men and 5% for women.
2. Researchers also found increases in outpatient anxiety diagnoses of 7.2% for men and 6.5% for women. The probability of anti-anxiety medication use increased 4.99% for men and 5.17% for women.
3. The study found no significant increases in substance use disorder diagnoses or medication use. Researchers also found no evidence of increased emergency department or inpatient visits involving depression or anxiety diagnoses.
4. The findings were limited to individuals with employer-sponsored health insurance. Researchers could not determine whether individuals receiving mental health treatment had participated in online sports betting, limiting their ability to establish a direct link between betting behavior and healthcare use.
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