Helping Indiana Quit Sports Betting and Gambling

Sports betting: Soon after the removal of the federal ban on sports betting in 2018, Indiana legislators signed HB 1015 bill into law to regulate the activity in May of 2019. Within a few months, Indiana sports betting platforms opened up across the state. At press, IN is home to one-dozen online sportsbooks / DFS apps and more than a dozen brick-and-mortar sports betting establishments. Despite the activity being legal and regulated in Indiana, a large proportion of the sports betting population continues to use illegal offshore platforms. Some do so unknowingly, while others do so in order to access larger sign-up and reload bonuses, the ability to wager with cryptocurrency, and ability to wager on more than college and professional sports. However, this comes at great cost because offshore operators do not abide by Responsible Gambling mandates, and they offer zero in the way of consumer protections.

Casino gaming: A number of Indiana residents seeking help to quit sports betting also seek counseling to stop casino gambling, which is readily accessible to the populous. Indiana gambling laws allow riverboat casinos, and the state has three casinos owned by federally recognized Native American tribes. Online casinos are illegal, but the same offshore sports betting sites that have infiltrated IN also feature slots, table games, keno, digital lottery, and video poker to members.

A post-legalization survey of sports bettors in Indiana found the following:

• 6.4% of Indiana sports bettors indicate that they bet too much on sports
• 4% of Indiana sports bettors indicate that they may be addicted to sports betting

Indiana University (IU) has also released data on problematic sports betting in the state:

• 89% of adults in Indiana participated in some form of gambling in the past year
• Only 0.6% of Indiana adults who report having a problem with gambling have sought treatment

The same IU report shows that gambling behavior in the state is not just related to sports betting:

• Lottery is the most popular form of gambling in Indiana, with more than 66% regularity playing the lottery
• Casino gambling is also popular, with 55% of Indiana adults reporting visiting a casino to gamble. Slot machines are the most popular game at casinos (16%)
• Respondents aged 35 to 54 are more likely to report multiple gambling activities beyond online sports betting, such as video-based tables games at a casino and lottery-ticket vending machines

Meanwhile, Indiana residents share the following statistics with the rest of the United States:

• 20% of sports bettors are in or have been in debt from sports betting ( source )
• Average gambling addict (male) debt is between $55,000 and $90,000 ( source )
• About 3% of problem gamblers in the USA are $300,000 in debt due to their addiction ( source )
• Nearly 15% of problem gamblers have committed a crime to support their addiction ( source )
• Divorce rate for habitual gamblers is 31% compared to 21% for those who rarely gamble ( source )
• Suicide rate is 16 times higher for problem gamblers ( source )

Kindbridge provides powerful treatment to residents of Indiana. Our counselors are accessible, whether you’re in Bloomington, Fort Wayne, Gary, Indianapolis, Jeffersonville, West Lafayette, or any of the other cities, towns, and communities within the Hoosier State.

In addition to problem gambling, Kindbridge counselors have expertise treating other mental/behavioral health issues that you may live with, such as anxiety and depression which impact 38.5% of the population in IN. Of further concern, is that Indiana has a veteran population of more than 325,000 individuals. The state also has a significant number of active-duty service members and their families. This relates to the discussion of problem gambling treatment in Indiana because research shows that members of the military are 3.5 times more likely to develop problematic gambling behavior than civilians. All of this sets Kindbridge apart from other gamblers’ help centers in Indiana, as we not only specialize in PG counseling, we have expertise in working with active and retired members of the military (tap to view more) among other vulnerable groups such as athletes (view more).

A problematic relationship with sports betting and casino gambling also has an impact on loved ones. In addition to gambling addiction treatment for individuals in IN, Kindbridge provides couples and family counseling.

Kindbridge Behavioral Health offers flexible pricing for online and telehealth counseling. Problem gambling treatment rates and subscriptions can be found here. IN residents may also qualify for direct billing through our insurance partners.