Easier access to gambling raises concerns about more widespread gambling addiction

Problems caused by excessive gambling are not just financial. Too much time spent on gambling can lead to relationship and legal problems, job loss, mental health problems including depression and anxiety, and even suicide.
Kansas recently legalized sports betting. That will generate new revenue but could increase problem gambling in the state.

And for many sports fans, the days of the once-a-year Super Bowl wager and NCAA office pool are gone. In much of the country, betting on sports is now as easy as tapping an app on your phone.

"Making gambling much more accessible to those younger generations puts them at higher risk," says Jaime Costello, director of programs for the National Council on Problem Gambling. "There were a lot of introductory ways that we're getting them interested," she says, citing fantasy sports as an example.