Did you know Oklahoma ranks in the top 10 in the United States in many key categories? According to sources, we are ranked 5th for beef production. We are ranked in the top 5 in energy production and 7th in wind energy production.
Sadly, Oklahoma is also ranked 6th in the nation in gambling addiction, with the second most gambling machines per capita, according to research published in The Oklahoman.
Indeed, Oklahoma is truly a gambling hotspot in this nation. To compound matters, some state lawmakers continue to advance legislation that would legalize sports betting in our state.
While policy makers are being told the move would bring tax revenue to the state, the reality is that taxes of this nature always over-promise and under-perform. Think of the 2004 approval of the lottery, how it was marketed as a cure-all for our schools and has fallen woefully short of those promises. Moreover, sports betting has not been the tax boom it was promised in some states who have already legalized it, or it has come at a higher social cost than first was imagined.
Oklahoma would be making a bad bet to approve sports gambling, one that will have devastating social and personal consequences for individuals, families, and communities, as well as further erode our moral reputation as a state.
Apart from our state’s laws on sports betting, the practice of sports betting has become a ubiquitous part of professional sports and other levels of spectator sports. While TV commercials have sought to make sports betting an ordinary part of life, the devastating effects of gambling addiction are anything but ordinary.
An article called “Sports Betting Hurts American Men” quoted author Charles Fain Lehman, who said, “The rise of sports gambling has caused a wave of financial and familial misery, one that falls disproportionately on the most economically precarious households.”
Sports betting is particularly alluring to young men. The new face of sports betting addiction is that of a lonely young man on his digital device, risking money he cannot afford to lose and locked in a cycle of addiction.
A recent article online showed a real example of sports betting addiction in a young man named Malek. “It was a total warping of my mind,” said Malek. “I know what I’m doing. This is easy, this is great.” However, $10 bets became $100 wagers, which quickly morphed into stakes involving thousands of dollars and
huge losses.
There are millions of others like Malek, addicted to sports gambling—an addiction which has been linked to a rise in anxiety, bankruptcies and, most disturbingly, even a rise in domestic violence. Studies have shown that Internet gambling has the same kind of addictive hold on the brain as Internet pornography.
In a recent Messenger podcast episode (at BaptistMessenger.com/podcast), two Oklahoma pastors talk about the moral, economic and social costs that sports gambling has. They explain how sports betting is even tainting sports and sports competition itself and discuss the high cost of gambling addiction.
Churches should be equipped to minister to those families affected by gambling addiction. A helpful guide for churches called, “Pay to Play: A Practical Guide to Addressing Gambling in the Church,” is available to download at
erlc.com/research/.
We can no longer ignore the high cost of legalized sports betting and gambling addictions. Whether talking about policymakers considering the approval of sports betting, or talking to young people allured by sports betting, our message needs to be clear: Don’t bet on it. There is a better way.
