Concerns are growing over gambling addiction in the military

What was supposed to be entertainment, a way for service workers to relax, instead became for Yeager a problem that would cost him his job, his security finances and his family.

“It went from, I was having fun doing this, to, I have to do this. It became too much for me,” he said.

In his book, “Fall In: A Veteran with a Gambling Addiction,” Yeager wrote about how he lent money to the underprivileged, stole petty cash and left his family in trouble. of finance. Such vulnerability to servicemembers affects individual autonomy and possibly national security, if adversaries were to exploit it, he said.

However, when Yeager said he shared that vulnerability with his managers and advisors, no one pointed a finger at him in his gambling, or helped him to help himself.

“The pastor told me to go to bingo night on Sunday. That would give me something to do,” Yeager said. “And I’m like, ‘I think you’re missing the point here.’

As of 2017, the Department of Defense used more than 3,100 vehicles to deploy the US military to a dozen other countries, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office. The machines generate more than 100 billion dollars annually and are seen as a boost to the convenience and entertainment for members of services such as golf, libraries and other entertainment.

Overseas, 18-year-old employees may be allowed to gamble.

Domestically, gambling machines are banned from military bases, although casinos remain nearby. There are seven local casinos located within 20 minutes of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, one of the largest military installations in the country.

In 2018, when the Supreme Court decision opened the way for states to legalize gambling, gambling opportunities exploded. Now, broadly speaking, all but four states allow gambling in some form.

“Suddenly, we started to see more people with gambling problems calling and asking for help, often within a year or two of the onset,” said Heather Chapman, psychologist and state administrator. gambling treatment program for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Gambling disorder diagnoses among service members and veterans are on the rise, with as many patients receiving a diagnosis in the first half of 2024 as in all of 2022, according to VA research. Twenty percent of those posted are women.

“It’s not too surprising, because with increased access and availability, we tend to see a rise in unhealthy commitments,” said Dominick DePhilippis, the state’s assistant mental health director for substance use disorders. bad drug for VA.

Employees are more at risk than the general public for gambling problems and may be reluctant to come forward, fearing they could lose their security clearance or avoid the stigma associated with gambling problems, VA research has found. get.

Studies have found the prevalence of problem gambling and problem gambling among veterans to be as high as 10.7% in some parts of the US, the department said, although those studies have been small and often are in place, leading to large differences between results.

To address the growing problem, the VA operates two gambling addiction treatment centers and has partnerships with community services across the country, Chapman said.

“We’re kind of a gambling mecca,” he said.

The VA began treating gambling problems in the late 1960s, about nine years after Congress banned slot machines from homes.

The Defense Department declined CNBC’s request for comment, but said in a statement that there has not been an increase in the administration’s resources to address the problem of gambling. It said that an analysis of health-related behavior from 2018 – before the sports betting operation – showed that the rate of problem gambling among employees was 1.6% to 1.7% corresponds to population events.

“DoD investigators are aware of the changes in gambling due to new mobile gambling options and games and will consider these types of future military gambling investigations,” the spokesperson said. of the department said in an email.

The military is conducting a new investigation, and results are expected in the fall, the spokesman added

Current employees are screened for gambling problems every year during their physical lives after a provision signed into the National Security Authorization Act by former President Trump. And the Department of Defense has said that service members with a gambling problem will not be penalized for seeking treatment after being tested.

Policies on education are largely determined by individual authorities and vary greatly from foundation to foundation.

Brianne Doura-Schawohl, wife of an Army officer and advocate for responsible gaming, wants the Department of Defense to implement gambling education and treatment policies that work across the entire military .

“These policy books need to be improved to deal with this addiction, the way they deal with things like alcohol. We need to do more to prevent and treat this disease,” Doura-Schawohl said.

“I believe that the men and women who wear that uniform every day are willing to sacrifice everything. I think the least we can do is for the government to tell them that we have your back,” he said. like that.

Unlike US-based casinos, the DOD is not required to provide educational materials or resources on how to get help for problem gambling, according to a spokesperson for the National Council on Problem Gambling. Bet.

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

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., introduced legislation in 2018 called the Gambling Addiction Prevention Act (GAP) that sought to require the Department of Defense to track gambling problems as well as implementing policies and programs to deal with gambling problems among employees. Failed to gain power.

Recently, Rep. Paul Tonko, DN.Y., proposed amending the recent National Defense Authorization Act to ban all gambling on military bases, although it was not included in the final legislation.

“Our brave service men and women give up everything to protect our nation and its freedom. We must do everything we can to support them in facing the challenge of money and to ensure that this notoriously addictive product is treated with the same seriousness and care that we do with other drugs,” Tonko said in a statement to CNBC.

During patriotic holidays like the Fourth of July, many casinos and sportsbooks send out promotions aimed at service members and veterans.

At Pahrump Nugget and Lakeside Casino in Nevada, Golden Casino Group is offering “Military Mondays,” where veterans and active duty military can win a free spin just by swiping their card.

Some casinos offer veterans their military membership cards based on their service. For example, Penn’s Heroes program offers rewards and promotions “for those who give more.”

The Caesars Rewards Card “shows their appreciation” to active duty military members and veterans by rewarding them with credits and free gaming gifts, although the company said that each member’s rewards it can convert rewards into free play.

A company spokesperson said: “We don’t give veterans easy access or any other free advertising.

MGM Resorts has decided to offer only non-gambling promotions aimed at military and veterans. It also helps support medical research into gambling problems among the military community.

BetMGM, a joint venture with Entain that has a hero leading its responsible gambling initiatives, has chosen not to target members of the military or veterans with advertisements.