- Sports betting became legal in many U.S. states recently.
- Crime rises on professional game days and afterwards often.
- Violent and impulsive acts increase in public places nearby.
- Researchers studied crime data across several recent years carefully.
- Increases appear during games and for hours after them.
- Crimes rose more when game results were surprising often.
- Neighboring areas see higher crime even without legal betting.
- Authors recommend safeguards, consumer protection and public education programs.
Difficult words
- betting — putting money on a possible event resultSports betting
- violent — using strong physical force that can hurt
- impulsive — acting suddenly without careful thought
- researcher — a person who studies things to learnResearchers
- safeguard — a measure to protect people or thingssafeguards
- consumer protection — rules or actions that help buyers
- public education program — a government or school program for teachingpublic education programs
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you watch professional sports games?
- Have you ever seen problems after a game?
- Should the government make rules about betting?
Related articles
Gagandeep Kang on Vaccines, Surveillance and Child Health in India
Gagandeep Kang, a leading expert on enteric diseases, urges India to prepare tools to prevent viral outbreaks. She helped develop indigenous rotavirus vaccines, built surveillance networks and now works at the Gates Foundation.
Study finds Abbott-Bioline malaria test gives many false negatives
A study on the Thailand–Myanmar border found the Abbott-Bioline rapid malaria test missed many infections. Researchers call it “not fit for purpose”; WHO and the manufacturer are reviewing the test and further studies are under way.
Tanzania fights rabies with mass dog vaccination
Tanzania is working to stop human rabies by vaccinating dogs, improving surveillance and keeping vaccines cold. High vaccine costs, remote villages and lack of electricity remain challenges, but local and international efforts are growing.
