As Americans prepare for a record-breaking Super Bowl in terms of sports betting, one state is requiring operators to intervene if they identify problematic patterns emerging among bettors.

According to the American Gaming Association, some 50.4 million American adults, or 20 percent of the population, are expected to wager on Sunday’s Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

“Every year, the Super Bowl serves to highlight the benefits of legal sports betting,” the AGA president, Bill Miller, said.

He added that “bettors are transitioning to the protections of the regulated market, leagues and sports media are seeing increased engagement, and legal operators are driving needed tax revenue to states across the country.” 

According to the association, the total amount wagered will likely be about $16 billion, more than double what was bet on last year’s Super Bowl, which was $7.6 billion.

One of the first states to legalize sports betting, New Jersey, is now becoming the first to implement a new strategy to help prevent problem gambling from spiraling out of control, and it involves data already collected by online sportsbooks.

“This new initiative will allow the Division of Gaming Enforcement to work with the gaming industry to identify problematic patterns in player wagering behavior and intervene before they escalate,” the state attorney general, Matthew Platkin, said.

According to the attorney general’s office, the state is mandating that online sports betting operators train staff members to identify red flags indicative of gambling disorders based on information that their platforms are already collecting.

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement said that operators will be required to watch out for betters whose time spent gambling increases week to week and those who self-impose “cool-off” periods from gaming.

The division also identified those who wager until they have less than a dollar left in their account and players who repeatedly deposit thousands of dollars over a short period of time as potential problem gamblers.

“This new approach will enable dedicated responsible gaming experts employed by the platforms and us to see the early warning signs and reach at-risk patrons before they find themselves in a financial catastrophe,” the Division of Gaming Enforcement director, David Rebuck, said.

Those bettors who exhibit these behaviors will face three levels of intervention from staff aimed at addressing the problematic behavior.

First, the bettor will receive automated outreach. Then, if the problematic behavior continues, they will be required to view a video tutorial on responsible gambling.

If problem gambling patterns continue after the video tutorial, the staff from the operator will directly contact the bettor to address the issue.

These measures will be in addition to more traditional initiatives for preventing problem gambling that New Jersey, along with many other states, was already taking.

Those who self-exclude, meaning individuals who choose to prohibit operators from letting them gamble, are not taken off of the exclusion list automatically but must ask to be taken off. Operators are required to block self-excluded players from their platforms.

Help is also available for problem gamblers through the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, an organization focused on helping problem gamblers stop gambling.

“This effort, in conjunction with our virtual and in-person problem gambling trainings for industry employees, makes for a more thorough approach to identify and assist those who may be suffering,” the executive of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, Felicia Grondin, said.