This story was originally published by our news partners at WBUR. We are republishing it through the New England News Collaborative.
On a recent Tuesday night at an Episcopal church in Canton, the final words of The Serenity Prayer hung in the air as the weekly Gamblers Anonymous meeting broke up.
Michael, who runs the meeting, lingered behind. He said the recovery group has been growing — and getting younger.
“We’ve had 17 new members, I think, in the last five months,” he said. “And I’d say at least two-thirds of them are in their 20s or 30s.”
They had come for help, Michael said, because of online sports betting.
Massachusetts legalized online sports betting in 2023, joining a…