Chavdar Vasilev is a journalist covering the casino and sports betting market sectors for CasinoBeats. He joined CasinoBeats in May 2025 and reports on industry-shaping stories across the US and beyond, including legislative debates, market...
Read Full BioA new University of Massachusetts Amherst survey reveals a sharp rise in problem gambling, growing public concern about gambling availability, and a shift toward sports betting, just two years after the state legalized and launched retail and mobile sportsbooks.
“Current Trends in Gambling, Sports Betting and Problem Gambling in Massachusetts, 2022-2024,” compares results from two surveys conducted in the Spring and Fall of 2024 with annual surveys conducted in 2022 and 2023.
It collects responses from Massachusetts adults who are considered frequent gamblers, defined as those who gamble at least once a month.
Shifting Attitudes
According to the report, Massachusetts adults are increasingly skeptical of gambling’s impact. The share of respondents who believe “the harm outweighs the benefits” of gambling rose from 48% in 2022 to 56% in Fall 2024.
At the same time, support for broader legalization has declined. Those who say that “all gambling should be legal” dropped from 37% in 2022 to 30% in Fall 2024.
Meanwhile, the number of frequent gamblers who say gambling is “too widely available” in the state rose nearly in half: from 23% in 2022 to 35% in Fall 2024.
The change in views comes on the heels of Massachusetts launching legal sports betting in 2023.
Sharp Rise in Gambling Intensity and Harm
The report reveals that the problem gambling rate has surged from 20.9% in 2022 to 28.0% in Fall 2024 among frequent gamblers.
Notably, these findings sharply contradict the National Council on Problem Gambling‘s most recent national survey. That survey reports a 27% decline in problem gambling across US adults since the pandemic.
The Massachusetts study also reports that respondents reporting family or relationship harm have nearly doubled in two years, from 13.9% in 2022 to 27.2% in 2024. Other notable rises in harm include:
- Financial harm: From 18.0% in 2022 to 25.0% in 2024
- Emotional/psychological harm: From 18.1% to 21.9%
- Health-related harm: From 7.6% to 11.8%
- Work/school harm: 10.0% in 2022 to 13.2% in 2024
Gambling expenditures also rose significantly since 2022. In that year, the median annual expenditure on gambling was $1,044. The following year, spending peaked at $2,910, likely linked to the launch of sports betting in Massachusetts.
In 2024, expenditure has declined compared to 2023, but it remains over twice as high as in 2022 – $2,280.
Sports Betting Became Dominant Gambling Activity
The legalization of sports betting in Massachusetts not only increased gambling expenditure, but it also influenced gambling behavior.
Participation in sports betting increased from 16.7% in March 2023 (before legalization) to 26.9% a year later, and to 32.6% in 2024.
Like expenditures, weekly participation peaked in 2023 and declined slightly in 2024. In 2022, the participation rate was 18.9%; in 2023, it increased to 28.3%, and in 2024, it decreased to 26.3%.
Legalizing sportsbooks also influenced social sports betting (office sports pools or social betting against friends/family). That rate declined from 49.3% of monthly gamblers in 2022 to 32.2% in the fall of 2024.
The decline was attributed to gamblers shifting to regulated sportsbooks, whether online or in-person. Betting with legal online sportsbooks in the state rose from 11.4% in 2022 to 26.9% in 2024. At its peak in 2023, the rate was 30.3%.
Participation with legal land-based sportsbooks is even higher. In 2024, it was 36.0%, up from 22.9% in 2022. This data suggests that land-based sportsbooks are more popular than mobile platforms.
However, revenue data from state gambling regulators indicate that over 90% of sports betting across the US is done online or on mobile devices. Meanwhile, another recent study by US News & World Report reveals that 81% of bettors use apps or online platforms to place wagers.
Another notable statistic from the Massachusetts study is that participation by illegal offshore operators has remained steady, at 16.9% in 2022 and 16.3% in the fall of 2024.
Massachusetts Considers Online Casinos
The survey comes at a time when lawmakers are debating whether to expand gambling further.
On June 23, the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure held a hearing where two active bills to legalize online casinos, Senate Bill 235 and House Bill 332, were discussed.
Supporters argued that the state is losing revenue to illegal, offshore operators. Meanwhile, critics warn about the potential increase in addiction and problem gambling.
The committee did not vote on the bills, and although they remain active, lawmakers have until November 19 to take action.
In addition to online casinos, Massachusetts is expecting to launch online lottery sales in 2026. While initially slated for this fall, lottery officials delayed it due to funding issues.
