Gambling, Prediction Markets Create New Credit Risks, BofA Warns

People use an ATM at a Bank of America branch in San Francisco.

Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Bank of America is sounding the alarm over the explosive growth of prediction markets and sports gambling, warning it could lead consumers to take on too much debt and default on loans.

The rapid expansion of such bets is creating a new credit risk for lenders as gambling losses create financial stress for consumers, BofA strategists including Mihir Bhatia wrote in a note.