In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on a U.S. military base in South Korea, then-Army Sgt. 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 I was carrying with me at that time were gone,” Yeager told CNBC.
What was supposed to be a form of entertainment, a way for military personnel to relax, turned into a disorder that would cost Yeager his career, his financial security and his family.
“It went from having fun doing this to having to do it. It became an obsession for me,” he 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 financial straits. That vulnerability in a military officer affects individual readiness and potentially even national security, if enemies were to exploit it, he noted.
Dave Yeager became addicted to slot machines when he was deployed to South Korea. Today, he counsels others about gambling disorder.
CNBC
Yet when Yeager said he had confessed that vulnerability to his commanders and advisers, no one accused him of gambling or helped him help himself.
“The chaplain told me to go to bingo night on Sunday. That would give me something to do,” Yeager said. “And I said, 'I don't think you're getting the point.'”
In 2017, the Defense Department operated more than 3,100 slot machines at U.S. military installations in a dozen foreign countries, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office. The machines generate more than $100 million annually in revenue and are considered a morale booster for service members’ welfare and recreation, similar to activities such as golf, libraries and other forms of entertainment.
Overseas, service members as young as 18 may be allowed to play.
Nationwide, slot machines are banned on military bases, although casinos are often located nearby. There are seven local casinos located within 20 minutes of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State, one of the largest military installations in the country.
In 2018, when a Supreme Court decision cleared the way for states to legalize sports betting, wagering opportunities skyrocketed. Now, more broadly, 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 expansion,” said Heather Chapman, a clinical psychologist and director of the Department of Veterans Affairs' national gambling treatment program.
According to VA research, diagnoses of pathological gambling disorders among military personnel and veterans are on the rise, with more patients receiving a diagnosis in the first half of 2024 than in all of 2022. Twenty percent of those referrals are women.
“It's not terribly surprising, because with increasing accessibility and availability, we tend to see an increase in unhealthy participation,” said Dominick DePhilippis, VA's deputy national mental health director for substance use disorders.
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 hesitant to report them themselves, for fear of losing their security clearance or to avoid the stigma associated with gambling problems, the VA research found.
Studies have found the prevalence of problem gambling and gambling disorders among veterans may be as high as 10.7% in some parts of the U.S., the department said, although those studies have been smaller and typically regional, leading to wide variation among results.
To address the growing concern, the VA operates two residential treatment centers for gambling addiction and has countless partnerships with civilian facilities across the country, Chapman said.
“We're kind of a mecca for gaming,” he said.
The VA began treating gambling disorders in the late 1960s, about nine years after Congress banned slot machines on domestic bases.
The Defense Department declined CNBC’s request for an interview, but said in a statement that there has been no systemwide increase in resources to address problem gambling. It said a 2018 health behavior survey, before the rise of sports betting, indicated problem gambling rates among service members of 1.6% to 1.7% were in line with the incidence in the civilian population.
“DoD investigators are aware of changes in gambling availability due to new mobile and sports gambling options and will consider these variables in future military gambling investigations,” 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 on military bases overseas.
Courtesy: Brianne Doura-Schawohl
Now, service members are screened for gambling disorders every year after then-President Trump signed a provision into the National Defense Authorization Act. Additionally, the Department of Defense said service members with gambling problems will not be penalized for receiving treatment after undergoing the medical screenings.
Education policies are largely decided by individual commanders and vary widely from base to base.
Brianne Doura-Schawohl, the wife of a Coast Guard officer and a lobbyist for responsible gaming, wants the Defense Department to implement gambling education and treatment policies that apply across the military.
“These policy manuals need to be updated to address this addiction, just as they address issues like alcohol. We need to do more to prevent and treat this disorder,” Doura-Schawohl said.
“I think the men and women who put on that uniform every day are willing to sacrifice everything. I think the least we can do is get the government to tell them that we have their back,” he said.
Unlike U.S.-based casinos, the Department of Defense 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 an ethical and economic obligation to use some of those profits to mitigate gambling-related harm,” the organization said in a statement.
In 2018, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., introduced legislation called the Gambling Addiction Prevention (GAP) Act that would have required the Department of Defense to track gambling disorders and implement policies and programs to address gambling problems among service members. It failed to gain traction.
More recently, Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., proposed an amendment to the most recent National Defense Authorization Act to limit all gambling on military bases, although it was not included in the final legislation.
“Our brave men and women in the military sacrifice everything to protect our nation and its freedoms. We must do everything we can to support them by confronting the gambling problem head on and ensuring that this known addictive product is treated with the seriousness and caution with which we treat other addictions,” Tonko said in a statement to CNBC.
Around patriotic holidays like the 4th of July, many casinos and sportsbooks send out specific promotions to military service members and veterans.
At Pahrump Nugget and Lakeside Casino in Nevada, Golden Casino Group offers “Military Mondays,” where veterans and active-duty military can win free slots play 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 the most.”
The Caesars Rewards Salute card “shows appreciation” to active-duty military members and veterans by rewarding them with free play credits and offers, though the company said each rewards member can convert the rewards into free play.
“We are not giving veterans easier access or any additional free-to-play offerings,” a company spokeswoman said.
MGM Resorts has decided to offer only non-gambling promotions targeted at military and veterans. It is also helping to fund clinical research into gambling disorders in the military community.
BetMGM, a joint venture with Entertain which has a veteran in charge of its responsible gaming initiatives, has chosen not to target military members or veterans with any promotions.
