ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Over the past three years, New Yorkers have placed an astonishing $58 billion in bets, largely due to the convenience of mobile sports betting.

“It’s never been easier to win big,” said one Bills fan News10NBC spoke with at a tailgate party recently.  He had collected $1,700 in winnings the night before.

Betting from your phone allows you to gamble from home or right in the middle of the action. “I think it definitely helps, I mean doing it on your phone instead of going into a location is way easier,” another bettor said.

While most people place bets before games, others gamble during the action. “I’ll bet in the games sometimes depending on how I’m feeling but normally I bet before the game,” a 3^rd gambler at the tailgate shared.

But losing is more common than winning.

“I don’t do it any more, I lost too much money sports betting I don’t do it no more,” one person admitted.

Dr. Chinazo Cunningham is the Commissioner of NYS OASAS, the state agency tasked with addressing addiction.  During a recent visit to Del Lago Casino, Dr. Cunningham sat down with News10NBC Investigative Reporter Jennifer Lewke to talk about mobile sports betting. 

Dr. Cunningham:  “We’re closely monitoring because we don’t see increases in terms of the number of phone calls to our hope line.  We’re not sure if it’s just a matter or more time and we’ll see that difference or is there something else happening.”

Jennifer Lewke: “Studies in other states that have legalized sports betting seem to indicate that those who are most negatively affected by it are people who can least afford it.  Do you have concerns about that here in New York?”

Dr. Cunningham:  “Absolutely, and so what we do know from the data that has been collected is that young men and people with lower income levels and lower education levels tend to be those who are at the highest risk of having harms.”

Jennifer Lewke: “You don’t get that extra set of eyes when you’re at home by yourself with your phone so, how do you try to reach people and when should people be concerned that they have a problem?”

Dr. Cunningham:  “So, often problem gambling is known as the hidden addiction because sometimes it’s not so easy to see it. 

Jennifer Lewke:  “Is it more about the time you spend doing it or the money you spend doing it?

Dr. Cunningham:  Yea, so the hallmark of addiction is actually not about the number of hours or the number of dollars it’s about loss of control, so that might be expecting to spend a certain amount of dollars or expecting to spend a certain amount of time and then that goes out of control and then it’s also continued gambling despite negative consequences.”

If you need help, most insurance plans now cover outpatient treatment, and some sports betting revenue supports treatment programs.

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