Arnold Ventures Announces 12 New Research Grants to Advance Evidence on the Impacts of Sports Betting

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Arnold Ventures today announced 12 new research grants to support rigorous, independent analysis of the rapidly expanding sports betting landscape in the United States.

These projects — which examine the impacts of gambling on financial well-being, household formation, mental health, consumer behavior, and more — will help policymakers better understand how the rise of online sports betting has impacted their constituents. Some of the research will also explore steps policymakers and other institutions can take to reduce harm.

"Just a few years ago, most Americans had to travel significant distances to legally gamble on sports. Today, access to gambling has become so widespread that, in most of the country, anyone with a smartphone could effectively have a casino in their pocket," said Justin Milner, Arnold Ventures' Executive Vice President of Evidence & Evaluation. "These research projects will shed light on the impacts of this new reality and help policymakers weigh important decisions about whether to legalize gambling, how to regulate it, and how to effectively reduce harm for their constituents." 

Approximately $2.6 million has been awarded to support the following research:

Advancing Evidence on Consumer Behavior and Risk

• Behavioral Insights (US) Inc.
  Principal Investigator(s): Michael Hallsworth; Kirstie Paul
  Timeline: 2026–2027
  Scope: This project examines how people perceive the likelihood of winning "parlay" bets and how they react to "near misses", where a parlay bet fails by just one leg. It also tests whether targeted messages following "near misses" can interrupt play and influence real-time betting behavior among approximately 12,000 participants.
    
• University of Wisconsin System
  Principal Investigator(s): Scott Baker (University of Wisconsin System); Justin Balthrop (University of Nebraska–Lincoln); Kevin Pisciotta (University of Kansas); Mark Johnson (BYU Marriot School of Business); Jeff Dotson (Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business)
  Timeline: 2026–2028
  Scope: This project examines how financial shocks and betting outcomes, including wins, losses, and promotional incentives, shape betting behavior over time. It analyzes within-person changes to understand how individuals respond dynamically to gambling experiences.
    
• West Virginia University Foundation, Inc.
  Principal Investigator(s): Brad Humphreys
  Timeline: 2026–2029
  Scope: This study investigates "loss-chasing" behavior in online sports betting markets following near misses and unexpected outcomes. It evaluates how these events influence gambling expenditures and risk-taking behavior.
    
• University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
  Principal Investigator(s): Brett Hollenbeck; Poet Larsen; Uttara Ananthakrishnan
  Timeline: 2026–2028
  Scope: This study evaluates how exposure to sports betting advertising affects consumer behavior, including app downloads and engagement. Using quasi-experimental methods, the research estimates causal impacts of advertising intensity on betting participation.

Understanding Financial and Household Impacts

• University of Wisconsin – Madison
  Principal Investigator(s): Jacob Goss (University of Wisconsin - Madison); Daniel Mangrum (Federal Reserve Bank of New York)
  Timeline: 2026–2027
  Scope: This quasi-experimental study examines how legalized sports betting affects credit card delinquency rates across states. It also analyzes spillover effects in neighboring states where sports betting remains illegal, providing insight into cross-border financial impacts.
    
• University of New Hampshire (University System of New Hampshire)
  Principal Investigator(s): Gorkem Turgut (G.T.) Ozer; Zhe Zhang (UC San Diego)
  Timeline: 2026–2028
  Scope: This study analyzes how gaining or losing access to legal sports betting through interstate migration affects individuals' financial outcomes. It focuses on changes in credit health and financial distress as people move between states with different legal regimes.
    
• Princeton University
  Principal Investigator(s): Carl Gershenson (Princeton University); Seth Gershenson (American University School of Public Affairs); Erdal Tekin (American University School of Public Affairs)
  Timeline: 2026–2028
  Scope: This research examines the impact of legalized sports betting on housing and financial insecurity among renters. It evaluates outcomes such as eviction filings and foreclosure rates using quasi-experimental methods.
    
• University of Texas at Austin
  Principal Investigator(s): Mary Evans; Katherine Rittenhouse
  Timeline: 2026–2027
  Scope: This study analyzes how legalized sports betting influences family well-being, with a focus on marriage rates. It uses quasi-experimental methods to estimate how changes in gambling access affect household formation decisions.

Evaluating Public Health and Social Outcomes

• University of Pennsylvania
  Principal Investigator(s): David Powell
  Timeline: 2026–2028
  Scope: This project examines whether the legalization of sports betting is associated with changes in suicide rates across states. It uses a staggered difference-in-differences design to isolate causal effects over time.
    
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  Principal Investigator(s): Sarah Schutz (Vanderbilt University Medical Center); Lawrence Baker (RAND Corporation)
  Timeline: 2026–2027
  Scope: This research examines whether access to legalized online sports betting is associated with changes in mental health diagnoses, prescription rates, and care utilization.
    
• Indiana University
  Principal Investigator(s): Alberto Ortega; Coady Wing
  Timeline: 2026–2029
  Scope: This project evaluates how legalized sports betting affects behavioral health care spending and broader indicators of social well-being. It assesses whether expanded access to betting is associated with changes in treatment utilization and health-related expenditures.

Informing State Policy and Revenue Considerations

• Urban Institute
  Principal Investigator(s): Kassandra Martinchek; Lucy Dadayan
  Timeline: 2026–2029
  Scope: This study evaluates how legalized sports betting affects state tax revenues. It examines fiscal outcomes across jurisdictions to assess whether projected revenue gains materialize over time.

About Arnold Ventures
Arnold Ventures is a philanthropy that supports research to understand the root causes of America's most persistent and pressing problems, as well as evidence-based solutions to address them. By focusing on systemic change and bipartisan policy reforms, AV works to improve the lives of American families, strengthen communities, and promote economic opportunity.

SOURCE Arnold Ventures