Siegel: What can you tell us about how a gambling problem might develop? You mentioned you're concerned that now that sports betting is legalized, you might have people who otherwise wouldn't be gambling, you know, engaging in the market now. So we want to make sure that protections are built in to those expanded gambling laws. But the issue is that a gambling disorder is so devastating for about 2% of people who experience it. We know that the majority of people are going to be able to gamble safely. I'm curious what the role of the council was in those conversations and whether you all were in favor of that happening.ĭwarika: So we are always neutral on legal sports betting. So we are really trying to ramp up.Īlston: So Odessa, take us back to some of the initial conversations around bringing legalized sports betting to Massachusetts. And they love sports and it's become part of the culture. There are folks who really have never gambled before that are now going to start gambling because of sports betting. I mean, if you look at the other states where sports betting has gone live, you see higher levels of gambling harm, more people calling the help lines, more people experiencing distress. Jeremy Siegel: So now that legalized sports betting is here in Massachusetts in-person, and with online sports betting coming soon, how does your responsibility change? I imagine that essentially translates to a bigger workload.ĭwarika: Yes. Odessa Dwarika: We work to make sure that people are able to gamble safely, and that means having prevention, harm reduction and treatment for those who are experiencing gambling harm, and support for their families as well.

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