The PGA Tour has joined the American Gaming Association’s Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly campaign, a public service to educate and help problem gamblers.
The PGA Tour has pledged to develop content to help sports bettors to “Know When to Lay Up” and gamble more responsibly. The co-branded public service content will be placed on social media and other digital platforms. The Tour will also play the public service announcements on PGA Tour Radio.
The PGA Tour joins the NHL and NASCAR to help promote the public service campaign. The Vegas Golden Knights and Monumental Sports and Entertainment have also committed to supporting the campaign.
The advice given in the ads includes setting and sticking to a budget, knowing the odds, keeping betting social, gambling only with trusted, regulated gaming operators, and understanding the warning signs of problem gambling and gambling addiction.
“A key component of the PGA Tour’s sports betting strategy is responsible gambling and ensuring that our fans are equipped with the right resources to be properly educated and prepared,” said Scott Warfield, Vice President of Gaming at the Tour. “By aligning with the American Gaming Association to support its Have A Game Plan campaign, we can align our efforts, providing a consistent message focused on responsible gambling.”
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Gambling Addiction is a Real Problem in New Jersey and Beyond
While a drug or alcohol addiction often involves physical triggers, gambling addictions more often involve a lack of impulse control. However, the likelihood of someone developing a gambling addiction increases 23-fold if they also suffer from alcoholism.
While more than 80% of Americans gamble at some point during the year, only 3-5% will develop a gambling problem. Gambling addiction most commonly affects people between the ages of 20 and 30, and the risk of developing a gambling addiction more than doubles for college students. In fact, 6% of college students are problem gamblers.
People suffering from PTSD suffer from high levels of stress and anxiety, and likewise, suffer from a higher level of gambling addiction; between 12.5 to 29% of problem gamblers suffer from PTSD. Also, those who suffer from depression, anxiety, and anti-social disorders also have an elevated level of problem gambling.
However, the most disturbing gambling addiction statistics show a direct correlation between the level of addiction and the likelihood of criminal behavior. Criminal offenders have much higher rates of gambling addiction compared to non-offenders. On average, around half of those afflicted by a gambling addiction commit crimes to support their gambling.
Hopefully, the PGA Tour, working in tandem with American Gaming Association’s Have A Game Plan, Bet Responsibly campaign can help address this serious issue.
The PGA Tour and Responsible Sports Betting
Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down PASPA, making sports betting legal nationwide, and sports betting is now legal in 25 states as well as Washington, D.C. Between June, 2018, when New Jersey launched its first sportsbook, and November, 2020, $35 billion in sports bets have been legally placed nationwide, generating $2.5 billion in revenues for the sportsbooks, and $330 million in tax revenue for local and state governments.
Since the beginning, the PGA Tour has licensed its live scoring data to IMG Arena, and the PGA Tour’s official sports betting partners include DraftKings, BetMGM, FanDuel, and PointsBet. Many of the Tour’s sports betting partners also have their own responsible gaming programs.
“The American Gaming Association is thrilled to welcome the PGA Tour to our growing responsible sports betting campaign,” said Casey Clark, AGA Senior Vice President of Strategic Communications. “As legal sports betting continues to expand in both popularity and availability, it’s vital that responsible gaming education keeps pace with that growth. The PGA Tour’s participation is a testament to its thoughtful approach to sports betting, marking an important step to engage all gaming industry stakeholders in our shared responsibility to educate sports fans on safely and responsibly gambling on sports.”
