Senator Elizabeth Warren has introduced a bill titled The Preventing and Treating Gambling Disorder in the Military Act of 2017.
The legislation would require the Department of Defense to screen service members for gambling disorder in both the Annual Periodic Health Assessment and the Health Related Behavior Surveys, according to a press release.
The bill would implement recommendations from a 2017 report by the Government Accountability Office, which was initially proposed by Warren. The study gathered information about gaming facilities on military installations and examined whether additional training and resources were needed to treat problem gambling. The GAO found that despite having over 3,000 slot machines on military installations across the world, DOD does not systematically screen military personnel for gambling disorder, the release said.
“The recent GAO report gives us the information we need to ensure service members get the right kind of prevention, treatment, and financial counseling for gambling addiction,” Senator Warren said. “This bill will take steps to implement GAO’s recommendations and help advance the military’s efforts to support service members dealing with gambling addiction—our men and women in uniform deserve nothing less.”
In the release, Warren pointed to connections between gambling disorders with financial and legal problems, as well as increased rates of suicide attempts. According to the DOD, only about 120 military personnel were diagnosed with gambling disorder or seen for problem gambling between fiscal years 2011 and 2015, but the National Council on Problem Gambling estimates that nearly 56,000 active duty service members meet the criteria for gambling disorder.
