Fierce Healthcare (4/14, Gliadkovskaya) reports the surge in “all gaming segments,” including casinos, sports betting, online games, and prediction markets, is “creating an addiction crisis yet to be widely recognized by the public, policymakers and the healthcare sector, experts caution. Current national problem gambling prevalence is unknown due to a lack of research and funding dedicated to the issue.” Experts believe “those most at risk include young adults, men and online gamblers. Gambling-related harms can be dire, from financial stress to co-occurring behavioral health conditions to suicide, which a fifth of individuals with gambling addiction attempt.” Fierce Healthcare “talked to two dozen [healthcare professionals], researchers, advocates and regulators” about “problem gambling, what’s driving it and efforts underway to address it.” Regardless of the true prevalence of gambling disorder, “a fraction of cases actually show up in clinical settings,” as “most [healthcare professionals] are not screening for problem gambling, much less diagnosing gambling disorder.” Notably, “federal funding for gambling disorder has been all but nonexistent,” meaning that “prevention and treatment, like legalization, has thus far been up to states.”
Related Links:
— “‘The next opioid epidemic’: Gambling legalization outpaces public health response to addiction,”Anastassia Gliadkovskaya, Fierce Healthcare, April 14, 2026