By Susan Sheridan Tucker, Executive Director of Northstar Problem Gambling. As seen on Minnesota Reformer
We’re living in a perfect storm of an emerging gambling addiction problem. The COVID-19 pandemic left people trapped at home. Legal gambling is expanding at an unprecedented clip. And, technological advances are making games more attractive than ever.
A 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing states to legalize sports betting set off a frenzy of legislative activity. States around the country pushed through legislation to permit sports gambling and online gaming as a way to compensate for economic losses created by COVID-19, as well as to claim revenues previously collected by unregulated, offshore betting sites.
Some states set some funding aside to help problem gamblers, but not all.
At the same time, electronic access to gambling is easier than ever. And, game and app designers are furiously creating ways to absorb participants into the digital world rather than being present in the physical world. The massive amounts of data being collected from each player helps to inform the next iteration of game design.
Designers want to figure out what will keep players playing just a bit longer, so that they’ll wage another bet or continue to engage in “microtransactions” (real money spent for virtual prizes).
We also know that during stressful times, people seek escape. A pandemic is a global stressor. When isolated, people may enjoy the easy access to thousands of sites. This can begin as a mere balm for stress or anxiety, but for more than 200,000 adults and over 10,000 children in Minnesota — according to a recent study — the use of gambling or gaming sites can evolve into problem gambling or even an addiction.
All of these developments set a trap for anyone who may have a family history of addiction or mental health issues. Three quarters of gamblers have a co-morbidity, which means the existence of one or more additional conditions that often co-occur with a primary condition. As it relates to gambling, this means that if someone is being treated for depression, anxiety or other addictions, treatment providers need to ask whether a gambling addiction may be also in the mix.
Surveys conducted by the National Council on Problem Gambling in November 2018 and April 2021 show there’s been a recent increase in gambling. Among the findings:
The number of Americans who bet on sports grew by 30%. This represents an increase of 15.3 million bettors in 18 months.
Online gambling on sporting events or internet games grew even more, with an additional 25.5 million adults who now gamble this way.
There was an increase in problematic play among groups who were already at high risk — younger gamblers (those aged 18 to 44 years old), sports bettors and those who play daily fantasy sports.
Those who gambled more during the pandemic also showed more problematic play.
Minnesota will likely pass some form of sports betting legislation in the near future. (Many of our midwestern neighbors — Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan — already have). Minnesota may enjoy increased revenue, but with more gambling options comes more risk. While increased playing doesn’t directly correlate to increased addiction, it is something that needs to be monitored. Early signs are not good.
As Minnesota likely pursues a path that brings in more gambling revenue, will we ensure that safeguards are in place to prevent gamblers from developing unhealthy addictions that wreak havoc on their lives and those close to them?
The vast majority of Minnesotans enjoy gambling without suffering repercussions beyond the possible loss of “entertainment” money. When the money they plan to spend on gambling is gone, they leave the game and do something else.
For roughly 5% of Minnesota adults who are problem or at-risk of gambling addiction, gambling doesn’t play out that way. These gamblers are unable to stop because gambling provides dopamine hits to their brains. At best, they blow through predetermined spending limits; at worst, they contemplate suicide because they’ve lost so much and lied so often. What may have started out as a fun diversion has evolved into a real addiction.
Gambling addiction is now recognized as a behavioral health disorder, akin to alcohol and substance use disorder. Despite this recognition, however, the amount of money set aside to treat, prevent and research gambling addiction is far less than funding provided for alcohol and substance use addiction.
Northstar Problem Gambling Alliance will continue to advocate for strong consumer protections for all players. Any expansion in gambling must include increased funding for treatment, prevention and research.
We all have a role to play. Policymakers must assess the risks and apply best practices to their regulatory framework. Operators need to do more to minimize harm to vulnerable players. And all of us can benefit from learning more about gambling addiction, knowing how to play responsibly, and learning about available resources for the gambler and their families.
Facebook is expanding its offerings to include free predictor fantasy sports and other types of fantasy games, a move that troubles problem gambling advocates who see such games acting as a primer to sports betting.
The company on Wednesday launched Facebook Fantasy Games on the Facebook app in the U.S. and Canada, allowing users to make predictions on sporting events and TV shows. As part of the new daily sports prediction games, users will have be able to set their own leagues.
Facebook also announced partnerships with Whistle Sports, Major League Baseball and LaLiga Santander, Spain’s top soccer league.
The first game to launch is Pick & Play Sports, in which users score points for correctly predicting the winner of a game, the points scored by a top player or specific events that unfold during a game. Players can earn bonus points for building a streak of correct predictions over a series of days.
In a blog post announcing the new free-to-play games, Facebook did not address whether players would be able to redeem their points for prizes, including cash.
If the company were to offer cash prizes, Facebook’s predictor games would be in the same category as Fox Bet’s Super 6 game, where players try to choose the winners of six weekly National Football League games, and PointsBet’s Premier League predictor game in partnership with NBC Sports, in which viewers try to pick the outcome of five soccer games.
Daniel Fletcher, project manager of entertainment with Facebook, said the company will release additional games in the fall linked to popular television shows, such as CBS’ Survivor and ABC’s The Bachelorette, as well as contests for Major League Baseball and LaLiga.
For each slate of games during the LaLiga season, fans will predict a single team that will win on that day. Fans will try to build the longest streak possible of correct predictions, but they cannot pick the same team twice during a streak.
“These games bring the social fun of traditional fantasy sports to simpler formats that are easy to play for people new to prediction games, while still engaging enough for more seasoned players,” Fletcher said in a blog post.
Facebook’s decision to launch free-to-play predictor fantasy games was met with some concern from problem gambling advocates.
Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, said he believes there is some risk of future problems with free-to-play and predictor games.
“I imagine they are targeting a younger audience, but this could be a case that because there is no money exchanged, they don’t understand or appreciate the potential harm that it could be creating,” said Brianne Doura-Schawohl, vice president U.S. policy and strategic development with EPIC Risk Management.
Susan Sheridan Tucker, executive director with the Minneapolis-based Northstar Problem Gambling Alliance, said the group would be looking at Facebook’s new product “with a careful eye.” “
At first glance, it looks like they are trying to bring friends together to compete amongst themselves,” Tucker said. “For most this could be considered harmless fun and a way to connect.”
However, Tucker said these games are designed to keep the player engaged for as long as possible.
“There may not be gambling involved at first, but the loss of time engaging in the physical world as opposed to the virtual world is troubling,” she said. “These games can act as primer to sports betting later on.”
“I didn’t notice any age limitations set for this platform. By making the games less complicated, it will likely attract a new base of players. Again, this could act as a primer for future sports betting.” “
Yes, there is reason to keep watch on these apps,” Tucker said.
The addition of fantasy games is expected to help Facebook increase the time users spend on its platform as the company faces increasing competition from TikTok and Twitch.
Currently, TikTok bans the promotion of gambling-related content and earlier this month, Amazon-owned streaming website Twitch banned the sharing of promotional links and referrals to gambling sites.
In January, Twitch launched a virtual currency betting system for its users worldwide, allowing viewers to place bets on in-stream events, including online casino games.
The feature, Channel Points Predictions, gives streamers the ability to “let viewers guess your destiny” by designating an event in-game and defining two possible outcomes.
Viewers wager their virtual currency — known as Channel Points — on these outcomes, up to a cap of 250,000. Viewers who predict correctly win a proportionate share of Channel Points from the total pool.
Predictions are disabled in several jurisdictions globally, however.
According to Twitch, the feature is not available to viewers in Denmark, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Quebec, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea and Turkey due to “legal restrictions.”
The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) recently announced the launch of ‘Operation Responsible Gambling,’ supported by Entain Foundation US and RG24seven. Operation Responsible Gambling (OpRG) is designed to assist members of the military community in gambling responsibly, and also to ensure they have options to seek help if they show signs of gambling problems.
Keith Whyte, NCPG Executive Director, stated, “We know that active-duty personnel and veterans face higher risks for gambling problems so Operation Responsible Gambling provides access to help, information and veterans’ video testimonials aimed specially at the military community. The information will be available on social media and a micro-website.” The first two videos feature stories from veterans in their own words, talking about their gambling issues during their service and the road to recovery through the Veterans Administration gambling services.
Whyte continued, “The research is clear that members of the military community are at higher risk for gambling problems, yet military community members may not know what to do or where to go. We want to make sure they know there is hope and help available.”
Operation Responsible Gambling is funded by a donation from Entain Foundation US.
RG24seven provided in-kind production and technical support for the videos and overall project.
Go to www.OperationResponsibleGambling.org to view the video testimonials and to find information and help on the risks for gambling problems in the military community.
I never gambled — or really knew much about it — until a friend suggested we go out and gamble for fun. We were both looking for a way to escape our hurts. I had just gotten divorced from an alcoholic husband and my friend had recently become a widower. I also suffered depression associated with MS, and a gambling outing helped me escape that.
Gambling allowed us to forget about everything. I didn’t have to talk to anyone. I started with maybe $60 per outing but
it escalated. Eventually, I couldn’t stop. I would always need another $100 bill. My friend (who later became my second husband) could sometimes go home making a few hundred dollars, but I never could.
I would gamble for any reason — to celebrate a good day or to help raise my spirits from a bad day. Eventually, after 11 years of gambling, I started thinking I had a gambling problem. I told my husband that I thought I had a problem, but he didn’t believe me. Neither did my in-laws, whose vacations frequently included considerable amounts of gambling.
Once I determined I needed help to keep me from gambling, I explored options. I was hesitant to join a group because I had a poor experience with Al-Anon back when I sought ways to cope with my then- husband’s alcoholism.
I ultimately found a program online that I ordered for $99. I figured I could do the program in the privacy of my own home and figured it had to have value given its cost.
Unfortunately, not being particularly savvy with computers, I needed help setting up the program. I didn’t expect that the person I would call for computer help would be a therapist, but that’s what happened. The person I ended up talking to, Dawn, would become the therapist who would lead me out of the darkness of gambling addiction.
After helping get the program set up, Dawn gently asked some additional questions. Why did I want the program? How serious was I? Had I looked into alternatives? Dawn then said she would check on me in a few weeks to see how I was doing. That started us down the path of telephone counseling, something she was able to get covered by insurance.
I really connected with Dawn, and found myself wanting to follow the program because I didn’t want to disappoint her. She was also the first therapist I had who knew anything about gambling and could explore the connection between gambling and depression.
One thing that I’ve learned about gambling addiction that’s different from other addictions is the randomness of the reward. Someone who drinks or uses drugs knows the impact it will have on them — they will get drunk or high. But gambling is so unpredictable. You could do five spins and win hundreds or lose hundreds. That unpredictability is something gambling addicts love.
I am doing well in my recovery. I lost my second husband to cancer but have not gone back to gambling. I have worked too hard to throw away my freedom from gambling.
COVID, and the related restrictions, has also actually helped me. Even when things reopened, my husband and I were too afraid to go back to the casinos.
As part of my recovery, I told my adult children about my gambling problem. That was a big deal to me. It feels so good to spend the money that I previously spent on gambling on my children and grandchildren instead. I take them out for dinner, get them birthday gifts and spend more time with them. That, not gambling, now means the world to me.
Washington, DC – The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is pleased to announce the launch of ‘Operation Responsible Gambling,’ supported by Entain Foundation US and RG24seven. Operation Responsible Gambling (OpRG) is designed to assist members of the military community in gambling responsibly, and also to ensure they have options to seek help if they show signs of gambling problems.
Keith Whyte, NCPG Executive Director, stated, “We know that active-duty personnel and veterans face higher risks for gambling problems so Operation Responsible Gambling provides access to help, information and veterans’ video testimonials aimed specially at the military community. The information will be available on social media and a micro-website.” The first two videos feature stories from veterans in their own words, talking about their gambling issues during their service and the road to recovery through the Veterans Administration gambling services.
Whyte continued, “The research is clear that members of the military community are at higher risk for gambling problems, yet military community members may not know what to do or where to go. We want to make sure they know there is hope and help available.”
Operation Responsible Gambling is funded by a donation from Entain Foundation US. Martin Lycka, Entain’s Senior Vice President for American Regulatory Affairs and Responsible Gambling and Trustee of the Entain Foundation US, said, “Entain offers the most comprehensive services for at-risk gamblers around the world. We see a special obligation to active-duty members and military veterans who volunteer to serve their country, often in far-away places and in dangerous circumstances. We want to help ensure that their gambling entertainment is fun and safe with the knowledge that there are experts and services available to help if they have a problem.”
RG24seven provided in-kind production and technical support for the videos and overall project. RG24seven CEO Wendy Anderson stated, “We are honored to be helping to provide responsible gambling education to those who put their lives on the line to protect us.”
Richard Taylor, Jr., chair of the NCPG Military Committee, said, “As a Marine veteran and Responsible Gambling Program Manager for BetMGM, I’m excited to lend my personal and professional experience to this important project. It’s critical that we provide our military community with the education and tools they need to make the right choices when it comes to gambling.”
You can learn more about this initiative by signing up to watch the “Operation Responsible Gambling” webinar that will be held at 1:00 pm EDT on Tuesday, May 18. It will feature Whyte, Anderson, Lycka and Taylor. NCPG member and non-members can register here.
Go to www.OperationResponsibleGambling.org to view the video testimonials and to find information and help on the risks for gambling problems in the military community.
About the National Council on Problem Gambling
Based in Washington DC, the National Council on Problem Gambling is the only national nonprofit organization that seeks to minimize the economic and social costs associated with gambling addiction by working with all stakeholders. NCPG is neutral on legalized gambling. If gambling becomes a problem, NCPG urges people who gamble, as well as their loved ones, to contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline, which offers hope and help without judgment or shame. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call or text 1-800-522-4700 or visit www.ncpgambling.org/chat. Help is available 24/7 – it is free, anonymous and confidential.
The Entain Foundation US is a first-of-its-kind non-profit organization dedicated to promoting responsible gambling, sports integrity and corporate compliance in the U.S. The Foundation was launched in 2019 by the Entain Global Foundation and the Entain Group.
RG24Seven is the industry’s leading, certified, online, interactive Responsible Gaming training. The training is supported by world class experts and driven by a team of innovative course designers. For more information, please visit www.RG24seven.com.
I’m in the process of determining my future. Given what I’ve learned about myself and the relationship between trauma and the ways in which we deal with it, I’ve given thought to taking a smart recovery position outside of St. Cloud.
After my deployment was over, I was faced with the challenge of trying to somehow match that excitement and high-tempo routine.
It’s hard to replicate the adrenalin rush that one gets working in the military. For me, nothing can match the sense of doing something dangerous, and doing something dangerous for a purpose.
In my role with the Navy, I was among the boots on the ground in the Middle East. I saw the effects of war and came home with a darkness inside me that so many other veterans have experienced.
After my deployment was over, I was faced with the challenge of trying to somehow match that excitement and high-tempo routine. Of course there is no substitute in civilian life for what I did while with the Navy, but I tried to find it.
The closest I could come was gambling. It offered me some of the same aspects of life in the Navy: adrenalin, something to engage in, and a form of escapism. It’s only recently that I’ve begun to understand the connection and similarity between the highs of gambling and my life in the Navy.
My gambling started in a very casual way. I remember taking a long drive into the mountains when I was based in the Washington, DC, area. I ended up at a casino in West Virginia by complete accident. I enjoyed myself and it was simply fun recreation.
My gambling didn’t really become a problem until I left the Navy in 2006. I started going two to three times a week and it was my only real outlet. It became my social pastime.
I continued to gamble for much of the next ten years. But things really went off the rail in 2016, when I was a taxi driver and made frequent stops at a casino in the small town where I lived. Rather than wait for the phone to ring to transport passengers from the casino, I would end up inside the casino spending all the money I earned that day. Things got very bad and life felt hopeless.
At this point, I knew I had a problem. But I wasn’t sure that anything could be done about it, nor did I know how I could actually get help.
Then an unexpected thing happened. While on Instagram, I was viewing photos from an old Navy colleague. I didn’t recognize the buildings in his photos and decided to message him to learn more. He told me they were from Minneapolis. When I asked, “Why Minneapolis?” he explained that he was in Minnesota after getting out of a VA rehab facility in St. Cloud.
When we eventually talked—for the first time in about 10 years—it all started making sense. I knew him personally and knew about his dangerous streak, so hearing that he was in rehab made sense. I also saw many parallels to my story. I asked him questions about the process and then obtained the link for the VA facility that could help me.
As soon as I got off the phone, I started packing my car. I drove three days to make it to St. Cloud from the west coast. I didn’t even call ahead of time and walked right to the urgent care desk and said, “I need help.” I was feeling suicidal and couldn’t take no for an answer.
When I got to St. Cloud, I told the doctor that in addition to a problem with drug and alcohol addiction I also had a gambling problem. I was placed in a residential treatment program on July 14 with a dual addiction diagnosis and stayed for 60 days. Until then, I didn’t know that treatment programs like this existed.
A part of the program involved cognitive behavioral therapy. During these sessions, I gained a better understanding of how my actions were related to the trauma I suffered in the Navy and how the things I did were efforts to try to deal with that trauma. When you get into a program like this, you see the bigger picture. More importantly, you see that this addiction can be managed and that it can be cured.
I’m trying to start anew in a place where I have no routine connected with gambling and where there is no casino in town. I’m living in the House of Charity in Minneapolis and am following through with my aftercare, including meeting with a therapist to keep me on my path.
. . . when I was a taxi driver and made frequent stops at a casino in the small town where I lived. . . I would end up inside the casino spending all the money I earned that day. Things got very bad and life felt hopeless.
I’m in the process of determining my future. Given what I’ve learned about myself and the relationship between trauma and the ways in which we deal with it, I’ve given thought to taking a smart recovery position outside of St. Cloud, something that would require a certification program. From past experience, I realize that I have to feel fulfilled in my occupation or it won’t work.
I’m prepared for this to be a long, slow process. But that’s OK. It’s taken me a long time to get to this point and I realize how important it was for me to get there.
