The state with the most gaming terminals is Illinois, making gambling almost too convenient, said Dr. Teresa Garate, vice president, Strategic Partnerships the Gateway Foundation, a national, nonprofit organization working to reduce substance abuse through effective and efficient treatment programs.
Garate stated, “We have the most video gaming terminals of any other state. Most of them are in our rural communities. It’s just like any other substance use disorder. People can gamble and go to the casinos, but addiction is a disease of the brain, and both gambling and other substances trigger the brain reward system.”
Garate added the Covid-19 pandemic “is when Illinois legalized sports betting on a mobile app, so now it’s even easier to access.”
Dr. Rodney Walker director of Juvenile Justice and Family Services for TASC, a resource for those with gambling and other addictions, noted, “There are about two million people in the United States that have an estimated problem with gambling.” He added, “There’s a shame around a person who may have a problem with gambling addiction. We want to remove that shame and stigma and let them know there is help available.”
Garate said Gateway only began providing gambling addiction services to the community last fall when it received a grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services. Regarding gambling addition, Garate said it’s been called “the invisible disease.” She said, “You’re not going to overdose. You’re not going to end up in the hospital. It’s really severe. They get to the point where they’ve lost everything, and there’s just a sense of despair.”
Garate noted younger people are increasingly coming to Gateway with gambling addiction. “Six percent of U.S. college students have a gambling disorder, which is high. People with gambling disorder are 2.5 times more likely to commit suicide. Twenty percent of people with a gambling disorder attempt suicide.”
Gateway, TASC and other nonprofits will release a series of virtual public education programs about gaming addiction beginning the last week of March.
