Austria reports spike in gambling‑addiction cases amid World Cup

Around 300,000 Austrians are classified as problem gamblers. During the ongoing football World Cup, the Anton Proksch Institute in Vienna observed a "massive increase" in enquiries related to sport‑betting addiction, said Oliver Scheibenbogen, head of the institute’s Academy, Research and Digitalisation unit. He criticised the legal distinction that sport betting is not classified as gambling, calling it a "huge discrepancy" between law and scientific evidence. The institute attributes the surge to intensive betting advertising before each match, which normalises wagering and lowers the threshold for children. Men, especially aged 25‑28, are four‑ to five‑times more likely than women to seek help, and combination bets pose a particular risk. Scheibenbogen also noted that migrants and people feeling economically pressured are more prone to risky gambling. Even individuals who had previously abstained reported relapses during the tournament.