中文摘要
本研究首次利用2021—2023年各州法律的交错实施，估计体育博彩合法化对食物充足性的影响。通过分析针对在线体育博彩平台与合法投注的谷歌搜索数据，我们发现，合法化后人们对体育博彩的兴趣急剧上升。将基于插补的双重差分设计应用于每两周一期的家庭脉搏调查（HPS）数据，我们发现体育博彩合法化使无大学学历的劳动年龄成年人家庭的食物充足性下降2.1%，换算为活跃投注者中的降幅则为10.5%。这一效应具有周期性，在美国国家橄榄球联盟（NFL）赛季期间可持续三到五个月。此外，在有25—44岁成年人的家庭以及少数族裔家庭中，食物充足性的下降幅度更大。利用家庭脉搏调查、行为风险因素监测系统（BRFSS）与当前人口调查（CPS）的补充数据，我们对作用机制的探索表明，体育博彩合法化对食物充足性的负面影响是通过财务困境而非心理健康或劳动供给的变化产生的。粗略估算显示，九个州的体育博彩合法化每年导致食物不足家庭增加28.4万户，并带来1.302亿美元的额外医疗支出。
Abstract
This is the first study to estimate the impact of sports gambling legalization on food sufficiency using the staggered implementation of state laws between 2021-2023. By analyzing Google searches for online sportsbooks and legal wagers, we show that interest in sports gambling increases sharply following legalization. Applying an imputation-based difference-in-differences design to biweekly Household Pulse Survey (HPS) data, we find that legalized sports gambling reduces household food sufficiency by 2.1 percent among working-age adults without a college degree, which translates to a 10.5 percent decline among active bettors. This effect is cyclical, persisting for three-to-five months during NFL seasons. Additionally, the declines in food sufficiency are larger among households with adults aged 25-44 and racial/ethnic minorities. Using additional data from the HPS, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and Current Population Survey, our exploration of mechanisms suggests that the negative effects on food sufficiency operate through financial distress rather than changes in mental health or labor supply. A back-of-the-envelope calculation indicates that legalization of sports gambling in nine states resulted in an additional 284,000 food-insufficient households and $130.2 million in excess healthcare expenditures annually.