Sports Betting

From TV to apps, to within the game itself, sports betting is everywhere nowadays.  “There’s an earlier exposure to gambling. It’s being sensationalized. The promotion of it kind of brings a positive light on it without really highlighting consequences,” said Sports Psychiatrist Dr. Rolando Gonzalez.
 
Sports betting became legal in Florida in 2023. It can be done at home on your phone. “It’s very easy and you can do it over and over and over again,” said Dr. Gonzalez.
 
Dr. Gonzalez said people seeking support for gambling disorder behavior has increased nationwide in recent years. Here’s what he asks his patients to see if they’re gambling responsibly.  He asks his patients, “Are you doing it simply to win or are you doing it for fun? Is it getting in the way or causing problems for you? Is it causing problems at work? Or are you doing extra hours to make the money to make up for losses? The other one (sign), is you’re trying to cut back and you’re unsuccessful. Like you’re failing at cutting back and your bank account is dwindling.”
 
The reality is that you’re not going to win every time. To sports bet responsibility, “Is it fun? Keep within your budget and try to make it social,” said Dr. Gonzlez. You can learn more by searching for behavioral health on leehealth.org.
 
 
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Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.
 
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