It used to be that if you wanted to gamble, you had to go to a casino or racetrack to do it.

But the expansion of online gambling and newly loosened laws around sports betting

mean that people can now place bets from just about anywhere.

Unlimited gambling opportunities are just a few clicks away on your smartphone.

Now psychologists and other researchers are investigating whether that increased access could lead to an increase in problem gambling.

Gambling disorder is the only behavioral addiction recognized in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.

Do new opportunities for gambling mean that more people are at risk

of developing it? And who is at risk? Are there demographic personality or other factors that

make people more likely to develop a gambling addiction? What treatments are available and what are the

barriers people face in accessing treatment? What role does stigma play? And what will it mean

that exposure to gambling is increasing not just for adults, but also for kids via sports,

betting ads and gambling in video games? Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of

the American Psychological Association that examines the links between

psychological science and everyday life. I'm Kim Mills.

We have two guests today. First is Dr. Leah Nauer, a distinguished professor and director of the

Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University. She's a clinician

and attorney who specializes in gambling disorder and other behavioral disorders. Her research

focuses on online gambling and video gaming, sports wagering, the causes in treatment of gambling

and gaming disorder, and gambling related policy issues. She's a member of the Board of Directors and chairs the Research Committee of the National Council on Problem Gambling

and won that organization's 2019 Research Award and its 2022 Lifetime Research Award.

She's authored several policy initiatives regarding responsible gambling and co-edited the book, The Wiley Blackwell

Handbook of Disordered Gambling. Next is Dr. Shane Krause, an assistant professor of psychology

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