Claims extracted
18
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
17%
3 of 18 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Health
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Legalizing sports betting online in the United States has led to increases in the use of depression and anxiety medications across nearly half the country, new research has found.
asserted
research → legalize → country
There was also a surge in outpatient diagnoses for the mental health conditions, which are tied to a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia, in the 22 states.
asserted
which → be → states
The findings reinforce what experts already know about gambling: it’s an addiction that is linked to poor mental health and substance abuse.
Sports betting became legal in 39 states following a May 2018 Supreme Court ruling.
uncertain
betting → reinforce → ruling
Tens of millions of Americans are wagering billions every year on sports bets, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said Wednesday, which led to the analysis.
asserted
which → wager → analysis
“I hope these results will increase awareness among psychiatrists and primary care doctors who treat mental health, as well as online sports bettors themselves, that these online apps can lead to harms beyond financial risks,” senior author Mark Meiselbach, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins, said.
asserted
Meiselbach → hope → Hopkins
The researchers examined people’s health changes at the state level before and after the 2018 ruling.
asserted
researchers → examine → ruling
They used a national dataset of employer-sponsored health insurance claims from January 2016 to December 2023.
uncertain
They → use → December
The analysis showed there were disproportionate impacts on men, who make up the majority of sports bettors, after legalization.
asserted
who → show → legalization
Legalization was linked to a larger likelihood of depression diagnoses in men than women: a 6.73 percent increased likelihood for men, versus 5.47 percent for women.
asserted
Legalization → link → women
There was also a larger probability men would use antidepressant medications: a 5.44 percent increased probability in men compared to a 5 percent increased probability in women.
asserted
men → be → women
The same pattern was seen for anxiety diagnoses.
asserted
pattern → see → diagnoses
The only category found to affect women more after legalization was the probability of using anti-anxiety drugs - an increase of 4.99 percent in men and 5.17 percent in women.
asserted
category → find → women
These are drugs are typically taken more by women.
asserted
These → take → women
The analysis found no significant increases in the likelihood people would be diagnosed with substance use disorder or be diagnosed with depression or anxiety in trips to the emergency room.
asserted
people → find → room
Future research
The researchers note that the insurance claims data they used does not capture whether people bet on sports.
uncertain
people → note → sports
That’s why they hope future research can be more targeted, allowing them to more directly measure impacts of betting and look at impacts on people without employer-sponsored health insurance.
asserted
them → ’ → insurance
Separate research has shown diagnoses for gambling disorder rose more than 60 percent in the U.S. since 2018.
asserted
diagnoses → show → 2018
“Overall, these findings support the concern that there are broad mental health effects of online gambling legalization, though those who are experiencing those effects, and their clinicians, don’t necessarily attribute it to gambling,” Ben Westermeyer, a PhD candidate in Meiselbach’s research group and the study’s first author, explained.
asserted
Westermeyer → support → group
The Aporia
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