A West Virginia University doctoral student claims to have found a sinister trend in the state’s Social Security system, arguing that the money meant to support vulnerable residents may be associated with driving gambling behavior.
Matt Mullis argues that there is a pattern in West Virginia: when social payments go out, so does gambling go up.
According to Mullis, 16,000 people placed as many as 43 million bets, a rather huge chunk of the total, with the doctoral candidate concerned over the promotion of the activity by popular people and celebrities, who may be fueling excessive behavior.
West Virginians Are Setting New Gambling Records
While this looks dire, Mullis acknowledges that states also have a difficult choice to make when it comes to regulation, as sports betting, lotteries, and other licensed products are often associated with huge tax windfalls for states.
Sheila Moran, director of marketing and communications at 1-800-GAMBLER, spoke about the prevalence of gambling-related problems in the state:
“ The calls that we get from older adults are the saddest because, first of all, they don’t have the time often to make this money up. Right? And sometimes, you know, older adults are struggling with money already, trying to decide between, you know, having enough money for groceries and for food or for, you know, prescription drugs. And so, yes, this is something else that they’re thinking: maybe if I gamble, maybe I’m going to double my money, and I’m going to be able to afford these things.”
Specifically, Mullis’ research highlights that demand for Hot Spot mobile slot machines actually goes up on days when retirees receive their Social Security payments: the second, third, and fourth Wednesday, which the doctoral candidate at least suggests may mean that some of these people are plowing their money on gambling products.
Developing Problem Gambling Habit Late in Life Is Particularly Bad
Mullis also cautions that iGaming is an upswing in West Virginia, with every month appearing to be setting a new record, the student adds. Even retirees, despite their advanced age, are not safe from potential complications from their gambling behavior.
“Lack of resources to cover the damaging level of gambling expenditure appears to be specific to older adults. They have less time and fewer financial resources to recover from social, financial, and, particularly, the medical and psychiatric consequences resulting from disordered gambling,” research published in Frontiers in Psychiatry claims, further highlighting the potential problem of using such money to fuel gambling at an advanced age.