"Photo via Getty Images The impending introduction of three new casinos in New York has come with promises of increased tourism, tax revenue, permanent job creation, affordable housing, and public green space. And while all of this seems beneficial and may very well come to fruition, one threat that cannot go unaddressed is the further enablement of gambling addiction. The State must start directing more resources to meet New York's growing addiction problem before these casinos open."
"With the legalization of sports betting in recent years, gambling is now more accessible and seemingly ubiquitous than ever. A recent study led by University of California San Diego Qualcomm Institute and School of Medicine found a 23 percent surge nationally in searches for gambling addiction help since online sports betting was made legal in 2017. In New York specifically, gambling addiction help-seeking rose 37 percent."
"The issue of problem gambling does not often exist on its own. The development of gambling addiction alongside other mental illnesses is common, as these conditions have comorbidities that tend to exacerbate each other. Suicide rates among problem gamblers are 15 times higher. Instances of gambling addiction are also tied to relationship breakdown, family violence, child neglect, financial distress, income-generating crimes like theft and fraud, and more."
Three new casinos in New York promise tourism, tax revenue, jobs, housing, and green space but increase gambling access. Legalized sports betting made gambling more accessible; national searches for gambling-addiction help rose 23 percent since 2017 and 37 percent in New York. Proximity to gambling venues associates with higher gambling rates, lower happiness, and more financial and mental-health problems. Gambling addiction often co-occurs with other mental illnesses, increases suicide risk by fifteenfold, and contributes to relationship breakdown, family violence, child neglect, financial distress, and crime. Gambling addiction drives poverty, diverts essential spending, and affects at least one in ten homeless people. The State must allocate more resources before casinos open.
Read at www.amny.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]