Alcohol use frequency relates to elevated sports betting engagement, risk-taking, and negative consequences in a year-long biweekly study of young adults.

BACKGROUND: Sports betting is a rapidly growing addictive behavior that has been cross-sectionally linked to other risky behaviors including alcohol use. To better understand how alcohol use contributes to sports betting engagement, risk-taking, and negative consequences, the present study examined within-person associations using 26 repeated biweekly assessments.

METHOD: A sample of 210 U.S. young adult sports bettors (aged 18-29) reported alcohol use frequency and sports betting behaviors every other week for a full year. Generalized linear mixed models disentangled between- and within-person associations.

RESULTS: Within-person fluctuations in alcohol use frequency were significantly related to sports betting engagement (i.e., frequency Rate Ratio = 1.08, total bets RR = 1.09), high-risk betting behavior (i.e., total amount wagered RR = 1.09, chasing losses RR = 1.08), and negative sports betting consequences (RR = 1.11). Across each outcome, the between-person effects of alcohol use frequency were non-significant, suggesting that alcohol use and gambling behavior may not simply be a trait- or person-level clustering as previously theorized. Alternatively, alcohol use may more directly impact young adults' sports betting behavior through fluctuating and dynamic processes, potentially driven by the dysregulating effects of alcohol.

CONCLUSIONS: The evolving sports betting landscape increasingly emphasizes high-risk and impulsive behaviors such as live/in-game betting, which presents unique opportunities for alcohol to adversely impact one's sports betting behavior. Findings highlight the need for policy and prevention strategies that effectively decouple alcohol use from sports betting, as the combination of these behaviors can amplify risks and consequences.