Betting the House(hold): Effects of Mobile Sports Betting on Romantic Relationship Transition and Dissolution

• In Event: Open Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 14: Family, Relationships, and the Life Course

Abstract

What happens to relationships and patterns of family formation when the financial risk environment changes abruptly due to policy? The rapid expansion of mobile sports betting increases exposure to potential financial losses, particularly among younger and economically disadvantaged men. In 2018, the Supreme Court legalized mobile sports betting in the US. This has raised public concern about the growing accessibility of gambling and its associated financial and social risks. As gambling becomes more accessible it is important to understand how it impacts family life. To better understand the population-level effects of a US state legalizing mobile sports betting on marriage dissolution, I tested the following hypothesis:

Opt-in state expansions of mobile sports betting corresponds with increases in states’ divorce rates relative to states who have not yet legalized mobile sports betting as early as a year post expansion.

Using person-level data from the American Community Survey Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) for the time period 2015-2023, I found that states that legalized mobile sports betting had significantly higher rates of divorce among young men of color without a college degree than states that did not.

Author

• Christopher Brehm, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill