Stop Predatory Gambling

Why is predatory gambling considered a public health issue in other countries but not in the U.S.?

by Les

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation recently broadcast a segment titled “Gambling: a public health issue” featuring prominent public health experts speaking out about how problem gambling can cause mental illness and family breakdowns and is one of the most serious public health issues confronting Australia.

Few public health leaders in the U.S. have spoken out against government’s policy of predatory gambling. This is true despite evidence from states like Wisconsin showing problem gambling rates at 7% as well as other studies highlighting serious gambling-related problems are now an epidemic among America’s youth – at least one out of every five young people has a serious gambling-related problem, up from one out of every ten in 1988.

Their silence is due in large part to the efforts of casino-funded research to minimize the problem. But like we are seeing in Australia, a backlash is building here in the U.S.  January’s 60 Minutes investigation and Sam Skolnik’s recent book both reinforce the reality that the failed government policy of predatory gambling will be one of the biggest issues of the new decade.