Harvard panel addresses public health risks associated with proliferation of gambling in the U.S.

30 January 2025 at 8:44am UTC-5
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A panel of academics has raised concerns over the growing public health risks associated with gambling in an online discussion, moderated by WBZ-TV journalist Laura Haefeli and hosted at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Speaking on the Zoom panel, Timothy Fong, Co-Director of the UCLA Problem Gambling Studies Program, acknowledged that gambling has been “part of human behavior for hundreds of thousands of years,” but said modern delivery of gambling products had “changed the fabric of our bodies and our minds”.

“Tech makes sure the experience is seamless; the gambling industry make it tantalizing; and the financial industry makes it possible to put your money in with just a click or a tap,” he said. The combination “makes it more dangerous,” added Shekhar Saxena, a Chan School adjunct professor of global mental health.

The panel suggested that gambling-related harm and addiction had surged in recent years, attributing the problem to the increase in legalized sports betting and online casino games, which have been made progressively easier to access.

More than 2.5 million Americans have severe gambling problems, according to a study by the National Council on Problem Gaming, with a further five to eight million only having significant issues rather than severe ones.

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Lia Nower, Director of the Center for Gambling Studies and Co-Director of the Addiction Counselor Training Certificate Program at the Rutgers University School of Social Work, said, “The groups most at risk are emerging adults and adolescents.”

While, Victor Ortiz, Director of the Massachusetts Office of Problem Gambling Services, added, “What we are seeing is that people with higher economic status and higher education are now at risk. We’re getting calls from people in significant distress who are not our typical callers.”

The panelists concluded the seminar by calling for increased legislation and safeguarding measures regarding gambling to protect people from harm.

“We need a federal presence like we have for cigarettes, alcohol, and other forms of addiction,” said Nower.

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