A New App Uses Gambling (For Real Money) To Improve Health

In 2014, Americans lost an estimated $119 billion gambling. Is there a way to use that betting obsession to make people...healthier? Georgetown University Hospital anesthesiologists Kerry DeGroot and Jason Hoefling are developing an app that’s designed to do just that. Called Bushytail Health, it will use gambling’s natural appeal to help diabetics -- and possibly other chronic-disease patients– -- manage their health issues. "We thought about how to motivate [patients] and at the same time, hopefully, gain data," says DeGroot. "And money is the only thing clinically found to motivate people to live healthier."

Users can sign up for free via the Bushytail’s website or iPhone app, which is set for a beta release in April. The first step: establish the user’s A1C level -- which gives a snapshot of a diabetic’s blood-sugar level. Next an algorithm -- created by DeGroot and Hoefling -- calculates a customized target A1C level per user. The user then receives a confirmation email with his personal goal level and a link to his "game." That’s where the gambling comes in. To play, users need to make a bet by putting up money as a buy-in. The dollar amount is up to them, but the money is real. That bet goes into a pot with wagers from other diabetics, all of whom try to hit target A1C levels within their game’s six-month course. Miss the mark and you lose your money. But if you make your goal, you get your bet back -- plus a cut of any cash lost by other players."We have no cap on the amount someone can bet," says Hoefling. "For some people it only takes $1 to motivate them. For some it could take $1,000."