March Sadness: 1 in 5 Gambling Addicts Contemplates Suicide

America's top college basketball teams will square off in the Final Four on Saturday, followed by the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game on Monday. However, it's not all fun and games. 

According to the American Gaming Association, Americans anticipate betting about $3.1 billion on the March Madness tournament, up from $2.7 billion last year.

Too often, people view online sports betting as harmless fun, but then find themselves losing their student loan money, their homes, or worse.  

In fact, experts such as Derek Longmeier, Executive Director of Problem Gambling Network of Ohio, say of all addictions, gambling carries the highest rate of suicide. 

"One in five individuals that meet the criteria for gambling disorder will contemplate suicide," he told CBN News.

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for legalized sports betting in 2018, the money wagered continues to increase.

"As we look at brain chemistry from gambling, it works very similarly to brain chemistry with cocaine," Longmeier said.

Winning triggers the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine, creating a euphoric feeling and the urge to recapture that rush.  Online sports betting consists of not only wagering on the outcome of a game itself, but also in-play betting, which as the name suggests, allows wagers during the games on specific plays, baskets, pitches, you name it. 

"From a sports betting standpoint," Longmeier said, "The piece that we're most concerned about is that in-play betting because that's the one that's been shown to be most addictive compared to other forms of betting on sports."

Gambling experts are particularly concerned about young people's gambling habits.  The National Council on Problem Gambling reports that 60% of high schoolers and 70% of college students placed bets in 2023.

"It can be in the palm of your hand on a mobile device, 24/7 games are running all of the time," Longmeier said.

Financial problems, obsession with games, and the inability to stop can be signs a person needs help.  Gambling addiction hotlines such as 1-800-GAMBLER can be a start.

"Professionals are available to look for local resources within your community. That could be counseling services, it could also be through Gamblers Anonymous or other self-help groups, many of which have a faith-based element to them," Longmeier said.

Indeed, Christians can be blinded to the dangers of gambling.  A Sports Spectrum survey released in February shows among people who identify as Christian or Catholic, 42 percent felt positively about sports betting, and 35 percent were neutral.  Only 23 percent opposed it. 

RaShan Frost, The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Director of Research told CBN News the survey is troubling.

"To me, that is a reflection of discipleship that we have to address within our local churches," he said, adding, "The perception of gambling has changed a lot over the years, and a lot of it's just because it's been spoken about in the pulpit in the past at a greater level than it is today."

The ERLC released a guide for addressing gambling in the church for pastors and church leaders called Pay to Play: A Practical Guide to Addressing Gambling in the Church. It offers a Biblical view of gambling.  

"The problem with gambling is that it thrives off of covetousness," said Frost, "Covetousness then breeds greed, which greed then perpetuates itself in idolatry, where the love of money is now the controlling factor, which takes our heart's affections away from the Lord."

The guide gives examples of how to lead people in the right direction. 

"Not only obeying God's commands, but cultivating a heart and a life that reflects Christ," Frost said, "When we look at gambling, gambling is the exact opposite of that."

So while sports betting is more accessible than ever before, some see it as a snake in the grass that's best left alone.