CHARLOTTE, N.C. - One in 10 Americans will be expected to bet on the Super Bowl this year. That’s according to the American Gaming Association. While some of it may be fun and games, that gambling can be a slippery slope.
- On in 10 Americans will bet on the Super Bowl
- A mental health expert says sports gambling is a brain disorder
- Gambling can be bad for families and other relationships
Spectrum News spoke with a woman in Charlotte who asked we not identify her. She says she was in a serious relationship with a man for five years, and they had talked about marriage, but after a few years things took a downturn.
"It was $1,500 here and $300 there. It was like big amounts of money," she says.
The woman says her ex-boyfriend had a gambling addiction and it took over his life.
"I can remember the times when we would be out bowling or something and he would be on his phone checking scores. So we could never get away from it," she says.
Ward Blanchard runs a practice in Charlotte called The Blanchard Institute. It specializes in mental health and addiction treatment programs. He says gambling addiction is an illness.
"It’s a brain disorder," Blanchard said. "It is a deregulation in the dopamine system when people are gambling, and their brain reacts differently. They will get 10 times more dopamine that someone who doesn’t."
Blanchard says on Super Bowl Sunday those dealing with gambling addiction are at high risk because of all the temptations to bet money. So, it’s important to have a plan.
"It doesn’t mean you have to remove yourself from the fun," Blanchard said. "But have a safety plan. Take someone with you that you can say, 'Hey I am feeling a little off, I may need to get out of here.' "
If you're a family member, Blanchard says it's also important to work with the person to get help, not against.
"The answer to that isn't prosecution or pointing fingers, but being able to express concern and set healthy boundaries," Blanchard said.
In the case for the Charlotte woman, she says her boyfriend's gambling addiction ultimately ended their relationship, and she wants people to understand the severity of the issue.
"He would say he was making bets to get rid of his debt from bad decisions," she says
For more information on Gambling Addiction or to get someone help click here.
Technically in North Carolina, sports gambling is legal, but there is nowhere to legally bet. Lawmakers passed SB 154, which allows sports betting in tribal casinos. But those casinos in North Carolina have not yet opened a retail sportsbook.
For more information on The Blanchard Institute visit their website.