After 9/11 at an American military base in South Korea, then-Army Staff Sergeant Dave Yeager sat down at a Department of Defense-operated slot machine and made what he now calls the biggest mistake a beginning problem gambler can make: He won .
“All of that stress, all of that tension, all of the things that I was carrying in that moment are gone,” Yeager told CNBC.
What was intended as entertainment, a way for the soldiers to relax, turned into a disruption for Yeager that would cost him his career, his financial security and his family.
“It went from ‘I enjoyed doing this’ to ‘I have to do this. It became an obsession for me,” he said.
In his book, “Fall In: A Veteran with a Gambling Addiction,” Yeager wrote about how he took loans from subordinates, stole from petty cash and left his family financially in the lurch. Such vulnerability of a military member affects individual readiness and potentially even national security if enemies exploit them, he stressed.
Dave Yeager was hooked on slot machines when he was deployed to South Korea. Today he advises others on gambling disorders.
CNBC
But when Yeager said he admitted his vulnerability to his commanders and advisers, no one pointed the finger at his gambling or helped him help himself.
“The priest told me to go to bingo night on Sunday. That would give me something to do,” Yeager said. “And I think, ‘I don’t think you understand anything here.'”
The Defense Department operated more than 3,100 slot machines on U.S. military installations in a dozen countries in 2017, according to a Government Accountability Office report. The machines generate more than $100 million in annual sales and are considered a motivational boost for military members’ well-being and recreation in activities such as golf, libraries and other entertainment venues.
Military personnel aged 18 and over are allowed to play abroad.
Domestically, slot machines are banned on military bases, but casinos are often located nearby. There are seven local casinos within 20 minutes of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, one of the largest military bases in the country.
When a Supreme Court decision paved the way for states to legalize sports betting in 2018, betting opportunities exploded. All but four states now allow gambling in some form.
“Suddenly we were seeing a lot of people with gambling problems calling and asking for help, usually within a year or two of the expansion,” said Heather Chapman, clinical psychologist and director of the National Gambling Treatment Program for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
According to VA research, diagnoses of pathological gambling disorder among military members and veterans are increasing rapidly, with more patients receiving a diagnosis in the first half of 2024 than in all of 2022. Twenty percent of these referrals are women.
“This is not particularly surprising because as accessibility and availability increases, we tend to see an increase in unhealthy engagement,” said Dominick DePhilippis, deputy national mental health director for substance abuse disorders at the VA.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, there are resources that can help:
Military personnel are more vulnerable to gambling disorders than civilians and may be hesitant to self-report for fear of losing their security clearance or escaping the stigma associated with gambling problems, the VA research found.
Studies have found the prevalence of problem gambling and gambling disorders among veterans to be as high as 10.7% in some parts of the U.S., the department said, although those studies were smaller and typically regional, leading to wide variations between results.
To address the growing concern, the VA operates two residential gambling treatment facilities and has countless partnerships with civilian agencies across the country, Chapman said.
“We’re kind of the mecca of gambling treatment,” she said.
The VA began treating gambling disorders in the late 1960s, about nine years after Congress banned slot machines from domestic bases.
The Defense Department declined CNBC’s request for an interview, but said in a statement that there has been no system-wide increase in resources to combat gambling problems. It said a 2018 health behavior survey – before the sports betting boom – found that the rate of problem gambling among military personnel was 1.6% to 1.7%, consistent with the rate in the civilian population.
“DoD researchers are aware of changes in gambling availability due to new mobile and sports gambling options and will consider these variables in future military gambling research,” a department spokesperson said in an email.
The military is conducting a new survey, the results of which are expected in the fall, the spokesman added
The Department of Defense operates slot machines at military bases abroad.
Courtesy: Brianne Doura-Schawohl
Military members will now be screened for gambling disorders every year during their health exam after then-President Trump signed a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act. And the Defense Department said service members with gambling problems will not be penalized for seeking treatment after screening.
Education policy is largely determined by individual commanders and varies greatly from base to base.
Brianne Doura-Schawohl, the wife of a Coast Guard officer and a lobbyist for responsible gambling, wants the Defense Department to adopt gambling education and treatment guidelines that apply to the entire military.
“These policy manuals need to be updated to address this addiction, just as they address things like alcohol. We must do more to prevent and treat this disorder,” said Doura-Schawohl.
“I believe that the men and women who wear this uniform every day are willing to sacrifice everything. I think the least we can do is for the government to tell them we stand behind you,” she said.
According to a spokeswoman for the National Council on Problem Gambling, unlike U.S.-based casinos, the U.S. Department of Defense is not required to provide educational materials or resources to get help with a gambling problem.
“NCPG believes that those who profit from gambling – including the Department of Defense – have an ethical and economic obligation to use a portion of those profits to mitigate gambling-related harms,” the organization said in a statement.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., introduced legislation in 2018 called the Gambling Addiction Prevention Act (GAP) that would require the Defense Department to track gambling disorder and implement policy programs to treat it Gambling problems among military personnel. He was unable to gain a foothold.
More recently, Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., proposed an amendment to the recent National Defense Authorization Act to curb all gambling on military bases, although it was not included in the final legislation.
“Our brave service members sacrifice everything to protect our nation and its freedoms. We must do everything we can to support them by tackling the problem of gambling head on and ensuring this notoriously addictive product is treated with the seriousness and caution that we do with other addictions,” said Tonko in a statement to CNBC.
On patriotic holidays like July 4th, many casinos and sportsbooks send targeted promotions to military members and veterans.
At the Pahrump Nugget and Lakeside Casino in Nevada, Golden Casino Group offers “Military Mondays,” where veterans and active-duty military members can win free slot games with the simple swipe of their card.
Some casinos offer veterans their own military-themed membership card based on their service. For example, Penn’s Heroes program offers rewards and promotions “for those who have given more.”
The Caesars Rewards Salute Card “shows appreciation” to active military members and veterans by rewarding them with credits and free play offers, although the company says any Rewards member can convert rewards into free play.
“We do not provide veterans with easier access or additional free game offers,” a company spokeswoman said.
MGM Resorts has decided to only offer non-gambling promotions aimed at military members and veterans. It also helps fund clinical research on gambling disorders in the military community.
BetMGM, a joint venture with Contain The company has a veteran at the helm of its responsible gambling initiatives and has chosen not to target military personnel or veterans in its promotions.
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2024-07-03 12:24:00
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