'In gambling, calling anything risk free is just dishonest,' Feldman said. 'In no way are we equipped to deal with this problem that is really just surfacing at this time,' Grondin said.Īlan Feldman, an expert on responsible gambling at the UNLV International Gaming Institute, said he finds promises of 'free' or 'no-risk' bets to be troubling.
Thirty-six percent of NJ bettors between 21 and 29 years old consider betting activities “a major source of income,” according to the survey. The survey also found the youngest legal bettors are engaging in some of the riskiest behavior when they can least afford it. This year, the NJ Council on Compulsive Gambling partnered with YouGov to conduct an online poll of gambling habits in New Jersey. The study, using a statewide representative sample of about a thousand New Jerseyans, found only 13 percent of bettors feel traditional television and radio ads strongly influence their wagering behavior. But 28 percent said they are strongly influenced by the ease of betting on mobile phones and 30 percent said they’re strongly influenced by individualized incentives like free credits and 'no risk' bets.
