In the wake of 9/11 at a US military base in South Korea, then-Army Sergeant Dave Yeager sat down at a slot machine operated by the Department of Defense and made what he now calls the biggest mistake a budding problem gambler can make: He won.
“All that stress, all that tension, all the things that I was carrying with me at that moment just disappeared,” Yeager told CNBC.
What was supposed to be entertainment, a way for servicemen to relax, instead turned into a disorder for Yeager that would cost him his career, his financial security and his family.
“It went from, I had fun doing this, to, I have to do this. I became obsessed,” she said.
In his book, “Fall In: A veteran with a gambling addiction“Yeager wrote about how he borrowed from subordinates, stole from petty cash and left his family in the lurch financially. Such vulnerability in a military person affects individual readiness and potentially even national security if adversaries exploit it, he noted.
Dave Yeager got hooked on slots when he was deployed to South Korea. Today, he counsels others about gambling disorder.
CNBC
Yet when Yeager said he confessed this 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’m like, ‘I think you’re missing the point here.’
As of 2017, the Department of Defense operated more than 3,100 slot machines at US military installations in a dozen foreign countries, according to report from the Government Accountability Office. The machines generate more than $100 million in revenue annually and are seen as a morale booster for the well-being and recreation of service members similar to activities such as golf, libraries and other entertainment.
Overseas, members of the military up to the age of 18 may be allowed to gamble.
Domestically, slot machines are prohibited on military bases, although casinos are often located nearby. There are seven local casinos located 20 minutes from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, one of the nation’s largest military installations.
In 2018, when a Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for states to legalize sports betting, betting opportunities exploded. Now, by and large, all but four states allow gambling in some form.
“All of a sudden, we started seeing a lot of people with gambling problems calling and asking for help, usually within a year or two of the time it went up,” said Heather Chapman, clinical psychologist and director of the national gambling treatment program for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Gambling disorder diagnoses among military and veterans are soaring, with more patients receiving a diagnosis in the first half of 2024 as throughout 2022, according to VA research. 20% of these referrals are women.
“It’s not terribly surprising, because with the increase in accessibility and availability, we tend to see an increase in unhealthy engagement,” said Dominick DePhilippis, deputy national mental health director for substance abuse disorders for the VA.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, there are resources that can help:
Service members are more vulnerable than civilians to gambling disorders and may be reluctant to self-report, fearing they could lose their security clearance or avoid the stigma attached to problem gambling, the VA survey found.
Studies have found the prevalence of problem gambling and gambling disorder among veterans to be as high as 10.7 percent in some areas of the U.S., the department said, though those studies were smaller and typically regional, leading to wide variation between results.
To address the growing concern, the VA operates two residential gambling addiction treatment facilities and has myriad partnerships with civilian facilities around the country, Chapman said.
“We’re kind of the mecca of gaming therapy,” he said.
The VA began treating gambling disorders in the late 1960s, about nine years after Congress banned slot machines from home bases.
The Defense Department declined CNBC’s request for an interview, but said in a statement that there has been no increase in resources systemwide to address problem gambling. He said a survey of health-related behavior from 2018 — before the boom in sports betting — showed problem gambling rates among military personnel of 1.6 percent to 1.7 percent were in line with the incidence in civilian population.
“DoD researchers are aware of changes in gaming 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 army conducts a new researchwith results expected in the fall, the spokesman added
The Department of Defense operates slot machines on military bases overseas.
Courtesy: Brianne Doura-Schawohl
Members of the military are now tested for gambling disorders every year during their physicals, following a provision signed into the National Defense Authorization Act by then-President Trump. And the Defense Department said service members with a gambling problem would not be penalized for receiving treatment after screening.
Policies around training are largely decided by individual commanders and vary widely from base to base.
Brianne Doura-Schawohl, wife of a Coast Guard officer and lobbyist for responsible gaming, wants the Defense Department to implement gambling education and treatment policies that apply throughout the military.
“These policy manuals need to be updated to address this addiction, the way they address things like alcohol. We need to do more to prevent and treat this disorder,” Doura-Schawohl said.
“I think the men and women who wear this uniform every day are willing to sacrifice everything. I think the least we can do is let the government tell them we have your back,” he said.
Unlike US-based casinos, the DOD is not required to provide educational materials or resources on how to get help for a gambling problem, according to a spokeswoman for the National Council on Problem Gambling.
“NCPG believes that those who profit from gambling — including the DOD — have a moral and financial obligation to use some of those profits to mitigate gambling-related harm,” the organization said in a statement.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., introduced legislation in 2018 called Gambling Addiction Prevention Act (GAP) which sought to require the Department of Defense to monitor gambling disorders as well as implement policies and programs to address gambling problems among the military. It failed to gain traction.
More recently, Rep. Paul Tonko, DN.Y., proposed an amendment to the most recent National Defense Authorization Act to restrict all gambling on military bases, though it was not included in the final legislation.
“Our brave service men and women sacrifice everything to protect our nation and its freedoms. We must do everything we can to support them by tackling problem gambling head-on and ensuring that this notoriously addictive product is dealt with with the seriousness and precaution we do with other addictions,” Tonko said in a statement to CNBC.
Around patriotic holidays like the 4th of July, many casinos and sportsbooks send out targeted promotions to military and veterans.
At the Pahrump Nugget and Lakeside Casino in Nevada, Golden Casino Group offers “Military Mondays” where veterans and active duty military can win free slots just by swiping 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.”
Caesars Rewards Greeting Card “shows their appreciation” to active duty military members and veterans by rewarding them with credits and free play offersalthough the company said that any rewards member can convert the rewards into free play.
“We are not providing veterans with easier access or any additional free game offers,” a company spokeswoman said.
MGM Resorts has decided to only offer non-gaming promotions aimed at military and veterans. It also helps fund clinical research on gambling disorders in the military community.
BetMGM, a joint venture with Have fun which has a veteran leading responsible gambling initiatives, chose not to target military members or veterans with promotions.