Concerns grow over military gambling addiction | Wilnesh News

After 9/11, at a U.S. military base in South Korea, then-Army Chief of Staff Dave Yeager sat in front of a slot machine operated by the Department of Defense and committed what he now calls a budding problem. The biggest mistake a gambler can make: He wins.

“All the stress, nerves and everything else that I had was gone at that moment,” Yeager told CNBC.

What was supposed to be entertainment, a way for soldiers to relax, turned into a disease for Yeager that would cost him his career, financial security and family.

“It went from me enjoying doing it to having to do it. It became my obsession,” he said.

In his book, “Trapped in trouble: A veteran with a gambling addictionYeager wrote about how he borrowed money from subordinates, stole petty cash and put his family in financial trouble. He pointed out that this vulnerability of military personnel can affect the individual’s combat readiness and may even affect national security if an enemy exploits it.

Yet when Yeager admitted his vulnerability to his commanders and advisors, no one accused him of gambling or helped him help himself.

“The pastor told me to go to bingo night on Sunday. It would keep me occupied,” Yeager said. “I thought, ‘I think you’re missing the point.'”

As of 2017, the Department of Defense operated more than 3,100 slot machines at U.S. military installations in more than a dozen foreign countries, according to one report. Government Accountability Office Report. The machines generate more than $100 million in revenue annually and are seen as a morale booster for military benefits and entertainment such as golf, libraries and other recreational activities.

Overseas, service members as young as 18 are allowed to gamble.

Domestically, slot machines are banned on military bases, but casinos are often located nearby. There are seven local casinos 20 minutes from Joint Base Lewis-McChord Located in Washington state, one of the largest military installations in the country.

Betting opportunities surged in 2018 after a Supreme Court ruling paved the way for states to legalize sports betting. Now, all but four states allow some kind of legal betting.

“All of a sudden, we started seeing a lot of people with gambling problems calling for help, usually within a year or two of scaling up,” said Heather Chapman, a clinical psychologist and director of the National Gambling Center. ) explain.

Diagnoses of pathological gambling disorder among active-duty service members and veterans are soaring, with more patients diagnosed in the first half of 2024 and throughout 2022, according to Veterans Administration research. Twenty percent of these referrals were women.

“This is not surprising because as access and availability increases, we tend to see an increase in unhealthy involvement,” said Dominick DePhillips, deputy national mental health director for substance use disorders at the Veterans Administration. DePhilippis said.

Veterans Administration research has found that military members are more likely to be affected by gambling problems than civilians and may be hesitant to self-report, fearing they may lose their security clearance or avoid the stigma of a gambling problem.

The department said studies have found the prevalence of problem gambling and gambling disorders among veterans to be as high as 10.7 percent in some areas of the United States, although the studies were small and often regional, leading to wide variation in results.

To address the growing problem, the VA operates two gambling addiction residential treatment facilities and has numerous partnerships with civilian facilities across the country, Chapman said.

“We’re kind of the mecca of gambling treatment,” she said.

The Veterans Administration began treating gambling disorder in the late 1960s, about nine years after Congress banned slot machines on domestic bases.

The Department of Defense declined CNBC’s request for an interview but said in a statement that it had not added any system-wide resources to address problem gambling. A survey of health-related behaviors in 2018 (before the sports betting boom) found rates of gambling problems among military personnel at 1.6% to 1.7%, consistent with rates among civilians, the report said.

“DoD researchers are aware that new operational and sports gambling options result in changes in gambling availability and will consider these variables in future military gambling studies,” a DoD spokesperson said in an email.

The military is in progress a new surveyResults are expected to be announced in the autumn, the spokesperson added

After then-President Trump signed a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act, service members were screened for gambling disorder during annual physicals. The Department of Defense says service members with gambling problems will not be penalized for receiving treatment after screening.

Policies regarding education are largely determined by individual commanders and vary widely from base to base.

Brianne Doura-Schawohl, the wife of a Coast Guard officer and lobbyist for responsible gambling, wants the Department of Defense to implement gambling education and treatment policies that apply to the entire military.

“These policy manuals need to be updated to address this addiction, just as they do with issues like alcohol. We need to do more to prevent and treat this disease,” Dulla-Shavor said.

“I believe the men and women who put on the uniform every day are willing to sacrifice everything. I think the least we can do is let the government tell them we support you,” she said.

A spokesman for the National Council on Problem Gambling said that unlike U.S. casinos, the Department of Defense is not required to provide educational materials or resources on how to get assistance with gambling problems.

“NCPG believes that those who profit from gambling – including the Department of Defense – have a moral and financial obligation to use some of those profits to mitigate gambling-related harm,” the organization said in a statement.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., introduced a bill in 2018 called “ Gambling Addiction Prevention Act (GAP) The bill seeks to require the Department of Defense to track gambling disorders and implement policies and programs to treat gambling problems among service members. It failed to gain traction.

Recently, New York Rep. Paul Tonko proposed an amendment to the latest National Defense Authorization Act to curb all gambling on military bases, although the amendment was not included in the final legislation.

“Our brave men and women in uniform sacrifice everything to protect our country and its freedoms. We must do everything we can to support them, confront gambling problems head-on, and ensure that this known addictive product is treated with the same seriousness and caution as other products. Precaution.

Around patriotic holidays like the Fourth of July, many casinos and sportsbooks send targeted promotions to active duty military and veterans.

Pahrump Nugget and Lakeside Casino in Nevada, Golden Casino Group Offering Military Mondays, veterans and active military members can win free slots games simply by swiping their card.

Some casinos offer veterans their own military-themed membership cards based on their service. For example, Payne’s Heroes Project Offer rewards and promotions for “those who give more.”

caesar salute card “Show gratitude” to active duty military and veterans by rewarding them Offer points and free game offersalthough the company says every rewards member can convert their rewards into free games.

“We are not providing veterans with easier access or any additional free game offers,” a company spokesperson said.

MGM Resorts The decision was made to offer non-gambling promotions only to military personnel and veterans. It also helps fund clinical research on gambling disorder in the military.

BetMGM is a joint venture Include The company is led by a military veteran for its responsible gambling program, and the company chooses not to conduct any promotions targeting military members or veterans.