Where is that "less than 1%" figure coming from or did you just pull that out from you-know-where?
And alcohol has always been highly accessible. I have 5 stores within a 5 minute walk of me that I can get it from, and that's not to mention all of the restaurants and bars within that same radius.
Addiction is addiction. Alcohol is one object of that addiction. Sports betting can be another. Porn, food, drugs, etc.
What's to say sports betting addiction won't become as severe as alcohol now that it's becoming more accessible to the public?
Under 1% of the population is not the same as under 1% of people exposed, and if we dramatically increase exposure, we probably will proportionally increase problem gambling. Regardless, this is a good point, this isn’t nearly as high as alcoholism or even drug addiction, I suspect.
You haven't addressed the problem of availability. It's one thing to go to the track physically to bet, vs having the track in your pocket available 24/7 with wagers on literally everything.
Do I think betting addiction will be as bad or prevalent as alcholism? Probably not, yet it's worth considering restricting it for social good. Just like we don't let 13 year olds buy bottles of whiskey.
Ah yes, so reasonable. You remind me of the alcohol and marijuana prohibitionists. Tell me, how are your bans implemented? Do jack-booted thugs enforce said laws and throw people in cages, or does it somehow magically just... happen?
And alcohol has always been highly accessible. I have 5 stores within a 5 minute walk of me that I can get it from, and that's not to mention all of the restaurants and bars within that same radius.
Addiction is addiction. Alcohol is one object of that addiction. Sports betting can be another. Porn, food, drugs, etc.
What's to say sports betting addiction won't become as severe as alcohol now that it's becoming more accessible to the public?