Kindbridge Research Institute, a charity organization based in Massachusetts, has announced the launch of the Military Gambling Awareness Committee (MGAC). Considering the scarcity of resources for service members impacted by problem gambling, this is a significant initiative, committed to tackling and reducing gambling-related harms within the armed forces community.
The MGAC will enter into close cooperation with the military and the US Department of Defense (DoD) to pinpoint potential gaps in the policy through a data-driven approach and give directions for possible improvements.
Dr. Nathan D. Smith, founding Executive Director of Kindbridge Research Institute, commented on the launch of the committee: “The establishment of the Military Gambling Awareness Committee marks a pivotal step in Kindbridge Research Institute’s mission to support the mental health and well-being of our service members.” The nationally recognized scientist added that the committee aimed to assemble experts from different fields and eventually deliver a holistic approach to improving the overall health of military members.
The MGAC will be chaired by Mark Lucia, a Senior Military Research Associate at the institute, specializing in military health research and boasting a wealth of experience as a Special Forces medic. Brianne Doura-Schawohl, CEO of Doura-Schawohl Consulting LLC will serve as policy advisor and contribute with her extensive expertise in military gambling policy.
Richard Taylor, Director of Responsible Gambling at BetMGM, and Joe Solosky, Managing Director of Sports Betting at NASCAR will represent the gambling and sports betting industries, respectively.
The roster of experts at the MGAC will be further supplemented by Joseph Martin, CEO of Kinectify, Caroline Ponseti, a communications strategist at Invariant, and David Yeager, a gambling addiction recovery advocate. The committee will further expand the array of experts from the military and mental health domains.
The US Military Has Limited Resources to Treat Problem Gambling
With limited resources to treat problem gambling in the US military, concerns have been escalating about a growing gambling crisis, especially following the legalization of sports betting in 2018. According to a 2021 study, titled Gambling and Military Service: Characteristics, comorbidity, and problem severity in an epidemiological sample, military service members were twice more susceptible to the risk of becoming problem gamblers than the general public.
The fact that there are more than 3,000 slot machines across military bases in 12 countries, as reported by The Guardian, does not help either. The estimated revenue amounts to approximately $100 million annually and is directed to other programs within the military.
In 2019, the US DoD started to run annual problem gambling screenings as part of the general health assessment of service members. It was specifically aimed at early detection of gambling-related problems and their more effective treatment.
The press release by Kindbridge Research Institute concluded by reaffirming its commitment to upholding mental health initiatives, reducing the stigma associated with problem gambling, and supporting “meaningful policy changes to boost military readiness and cohesion.”
