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Harry Levant is well aware of the dire consequences of gambling addiction.

A Juris Doctorate and Northeastern University policy candidate, Levant is a recovering gambling addict who has seen the effects of unregulated gambling firsthand.

“The model that the gambling industry, sports leagues, and state governments themselves have adopted is, ‘We have this new toy. ’” says Levant. “This is not good or bad. It is known as an addictive commodity. So there must be harm. There can be no other consequences.”

Massachusetts legislators recently concluded a marathon legislative session that resulted in the legalization of sports betting in the state, among many changes. State politicians and betting sites such as Massachusetts-based DraftKings welcomed the change, but Northeastern University’s Levant and other experts have serious concerns about the public health implications of the new law.

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Massachusetts legislation allows anyone over the age of 21 to legally bet on professional and college sports, except in schools in the state (with the exception of teams playing in “college tournaments” such as March Madness). can do). Bets can be made online and in person. The bill is now sent to Gov. Charlie Baker and has 10 days to sign or reject.

Massachusetts lawmakers hope the move to legalized sports betting will bring both dollars and jobs to the state.

“Once signed by the governor, this new law will open new industries to the Commonwealth, creating jobs and economic growth,” State Senator Eric Lesser said in a statement. “It also protects consumers and athletes with some of the strongest protections in the country while preserving the integrity of the sport.”

In-person betting is subject to 15% tax and mobile betting is subject to 20% tax. There is also a $5 million application fee for casinos, racetracks and slot he parlors to obtain a sports betting license. On mobile he has 7 licenses available. A betting platform, too. Lesser previously told CBS Boston that legalized sports betting could bring in $60 million to $65 million a year to the state.

However, some members of the public health community, including the Levant, say the move to legalized sports betting ignores the threat posed by gambling and gambling addiction.

“They are simply exchanging money from people to big corporations, and the government is taking their share,” said Levant, a substance abuse counselor at Milmont Treatment Center. “People get hurt. Addicts get hurt, people at risk of addiction get hurt, families get hurt, communities get hurt.”

According to Mark Gottlieb, executive director of Northeastern’s Public Health Advocacy Institute, the sports gambling industry is still in its infancy and, like the early days of the tobacco and alcohol industries, there is little regulation.

Massachusetts’ bill includes provisions such as protections for college athletics in the state, but Gottlieb said those restrictions were “like fig leaves in the law.”

“We can say that we are upholding the dignity of college sports and educational institutions here in Massachusetts.

Researchers have long known that the gambling industry uses technology to force patrons to “play to the brink of extinction.” This has followed losses and losses in a deadly cycle of depleting one’s own bank accounts, family bank accounts, trust funds and children’s college accounts. .

“You see people who have stuck their heads in a noose after doing all this and more,” says Levant. “This is reality.”

Gambling addiction, like all forms of addiction, is not about the drug of choice, in this case money. It is about how the product makes the addict feel.

“It’s more about dopamine than dollars,” says Gottlieb.

And the gambling industry has designed experiences to ensure that the dopamine hit continues. It’s a particularly harmful way of “deliberately designing” the process to ensure that you can become a public health advocate, says Richard Daynard, the university’s prominent law professor and president of the University’s Public Health Advocacy Association.

“What that means is that you can basically bet continuously,” says Daynard.

These days, the gambling industry is adopting a ‘responsible gaming model’. Companies make their products more addictive through in-game wagering, advertising, and integration with sports programming, while publicly demonstrating their intention to be more responsible by funding the treatment of addicts. manifesting.

“Responsible gaming is a model designed to lift drowning people out of rivers,” says Levant. “It’s not designed to go back to the top of the river and say, ‘Wait a minute, what can this product do to keep people from falling into the river in the first place?'”

As for regulation, strict limits on the types of in-game wagering allowed are a good place to start, but only if used in conjunction with other systemic changes. Possible solutions include limiting advertising and checking affordability, as well as credit checks when buying a car.

A provision in the Massachusetts bill banning patrons from using credit cards for betting is a step in the right direction, says Gottlieb.

“This is important, and it will be important to ensure that predatory lenders are regulated as they try to do what credit cards normally do,” said Gottlieb.

As sportsbooks and online sports betting companies begin to enter Massachusetts, Levant warns the public that it will lead the way with ads featuring attractive promotions such as “risk-free wagering.” No such thing, Levant says. These promotions are designed to get people to make big initial bets with the promise that their losses will be returned in the form of credits that can be used to place more bets.

“How it aligns with the public health approach, whether it tolerates such things in tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceuticals, or local drugs that give customers enough to drive them crazy. Think about it if you’re like a dealer in ‘when you come back,'” says Levant.

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