A new report by the Massachusetts General Accounting Office recommends that the U.S. military begin screening service members for potential gambling problems.
The report coincides with plans by the state’s Gaming Commission and Department of Public Health to study the prevalence of problem gambling among Massachusetts veterans.
“We’re trying to figure out a way to look at this and decide what can be done for a population we are very concerned about,” said Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby.
In 2015, researchers with the University of Massachusetts surveyed some 10,000 residents regarding their gambling activity and found that respondents in military service “reported a particularly high rate of problem gambling,” and officials said it raised enough concerns to warrant the new study, which will be financed by profits from the state’s new casino industry.
Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, said studies suggest that military veterans are twice as likely to experience problem gambling in their lifetime.
“Risk factors for gambling addiction include individuals who are male, young, prone to risk-taking, use and abuse alcohol and drugs, and experience stress, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder— all factors known to be more likely among military personnel,” he said.
In a 2016 government survey of more than 700 veterans, about 4 percent reported problem gambling, twice the generally accepted prevalence among the general population, Whyte said.
The GAO report, released in January, found that only a few hundred active-duty and reserve service members were diagnosed with a gambling disorder or counseled for problem gambling between 2011 and 2015, a tiny fraction of all personnel. Yet the report concluded that the military isn’t doing enough to identify gambling problems and recommended that it “incorporate gambling disorder questions in a systematic screening process”.
The Department of Defense, however, has rejected the recommendation “due to the disorder’s low prevalence,” according to the report.
A spokeswoman for the department said the military “can often identify behaviors early through other mental health assessments” and provides support to those with gambling addictions.
The department operates more than 3,000 slot machines around the world, but not on domestic bases. About one-third of the devices are in Japan, with hundreds more in Germany and South Korea. Profits from the machines—almost $100 million a year—finance recreational activities, the GAO said.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who in 2015 introduced an amendment to a defense spending bill that called for a federal study, said the GAO report marked an important step to helping members of the military “get the right kind of prevention, treatment, and financial counseling” for gambling disorder.
She said in a statement, “With thousands of slot machines on overseas bases generating millions of dollars in revenue, the military needs to tackle problem gambling head-on. The men and women who serve our country deserve nothing less.”
