Problem Gambling in America

Members of the Armed Forces serving overseas don’t have far to look to find ways to gamble. There are about 2,000 slot machines on more than 60 overseas bases. The DoD generates $100 million each year from active-duty military personnel playing on those slot machines. Despite this, screening questions to detect problem gambling in the military were discontinued in the early 2000s.

There are about 500 tribal casinos around the country. And their proliferation since 1988 presents a complex issue for Native Americans, many of whom are prime candidates for gaming abuse or addictions. Meanwhile, the positive impact that casino revenue has on lives is seen everywhere, in better health care, schools, roads and other community needs.

Southeast Asian refugees are among the groups that are especially vulnerable to falling into gambling addiction, experts say. Yet these refugees are often overlooked in the public policy debate over the expansion of legalized gambling, as states across the nation push for new sources of revenue to fill holes in government budgets.

As legalized gambling grows, so does the impact on communities vulnerable to gambling addiction, advocates say. And in Oregon, counselors such as Garcia say the lure of the lottery is hitting Latino agricultural workers and low-income families especially hard.