ST PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota’s prohibition on sports betting hasn’t stopped flashy, star-studded ads for sports betting from becoming a staple during televised sports.
It also hasn’t stopped some Minnesotans from gambling illegally on their phones only to realize that the reality can be a lot less glamorous.
"Whatever you make in a year, you can lose in a night,” said Austin Strom, who battled a gambling disorder for years before finding successful treatment. “I don't think people really realize how much it can take away really quick.”
Strom says his family commonly gambled at local casinos near Moorhead when he was young, but when he went to gamble at the casino on his 18th birthday, he didn’t want to leave.
"I spent like 13 hours on day one; 70 hours within my first month of my birthday,” he said.
He says his problems, and losses, deepened after he started using sports betting apps on his phone.
Strom: "I think it was just having it right at my fingertips. You didn't really have to leave to do anything. It was all just right there in front of you."
Kent Erdahl: “To be clear, when you were betting, those apps were illegal here in Minnesota, but you were still doing it?”
Strom: "Yeah, there's so many sites you can get your hands on. That was no problem.”
That’s why Strom now supports legalizing sports betting if it means that there will be more help, and protections, for problem gamblers.
“I do think the addictions will rise,” he said. "But I feel like if they want to gamble, they have the resources to do it at this point anyway. Whether it's through an illegal way or a legal way (in neighboring states), they're going to find a way. I think it really comes down to making sure the people who are doing it are educated and understand how quickly things can go wrong."
The Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling (MNAPG) has been working to weave that education, and other guardrails, into the House and Senate sports betting bills.
"Each of the bills, from our point of view, are including some consumer protections,” said Susan Sheridan Tucker, executive director of MNAPG.
According to the organization, 250,000 Minnesotans have reported some level of problem with gambling. Of those, an estimated 56,000 would likely be diagnosed with a gambling disorder, but with less than two dozen state-approved treatment providers, very few are diagnosed and even fewer are getting treatment.
"We only treat about 100 to 150 per year,” Sheridan Tucker said. “This is a highly stigmatized addiction. We simply don't talk about this."
A new ad campaign about gambling addiction aims to change that by raising awareness about free help that's available right here in Minnesota, even if it’s not plentiful.
While MNAPG remains neutral on the prospects of legalized sports betting in Minnesota, Sheridan Tucker says they are adamant about adopting guardrails around mobile betting.
“I’m very concerned,” she said. “We’ve seen what’s happened in these other states, such as New Jersey, since adopting it. Many young men are sliding into problematic behavior and then alarming rate of suicide.”
If the bill does pass, she notes that funding for treatment, prevention, awareness and research is critical.
"If you're going to sanction an activity, then you also need to support the services that a certain percentage of people will need because they will become addicted,” she said. "When a gambler finally comes to seek treatment, they are typically wiped out. They literally have no finances."
Strom says he's beyond grateful to have found that support at Project Turnabout in Granite Falls.
Erdahl: "What did it take for you in terms of getting help?"
Strom: "Honestly, it was just finally getting to what you'd consider rock bottom. I lost everything that I thought was of value to me. Plus, the people in my life that I lost."
He has now gone five months without placing a bet.
Erdahl: "How are you doing today?"
Strom: "Oh, I'm doing great. I feel like my whole mindset, my whole outlook on life is just way more optimistic. I actually have like, hope for the future."
For more information on problem gambling and resources to help, check out the Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling site. If you or someone you care about needs treatment, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (MDHS) has an online list of providers
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