Is gambling America's next addiction epidemic? Some doctors are worried the proliferation of legalized sports betting could lead more people to financial ruin.
Since the U.S Supreme Court overturned a federal ban on sports betting, 33 states and Washington, D.C. now allow it. It has addiction experts worried that this could become the country's next epidemic.
"It goes through the same common pathways of reward as any substance," says Dr. Lee Michaels, Director of the Addiction Psychiatry program at LSU Health New Orleans.
Dr. Michaels says with more people exposed, it is bound to lead to more problem gamblers.
"More gambling period, but more people struggling with the consequences of gambling, the negative consequences of gambling," he explained.
According to a Rutgers University study, the vast majority of sports gamblers are men, and most of them are younger than other typical betters in other forms of gambling.
While no one has ever died from a gambling overdose, Dr. Michaels says gambling addiction can ruin a person. It can often be harder to spot than a substance addiction since gambling does not show physical effects.
"They can hide money that they've lost up until a point where they can't," he said, "and at some point, that sometimes for people can unfortunately be very catastrophic."