Military Personnel: More Guidance Could Help Address Service Member Gambling Problems

What GAO Found

Problem gambling, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling, is gambling behavior that is damaging to a person or their family, often disrupting their daily life or careers. The Department of Defense (DOD) and the military services generally do not use the term problem gambling and instead more commonly use the term gambling disorder, which generally refers to a clinical diagnosis. DOD collects data related to gambling disorder from health surveys it administers to service members, and the Defense Health Agency (DHA) maintains records of encounters with service members diagnosed with gambling disorder. For example, there were 185 active-duty service members with a gambling-related diagnosis in fiscal year 2024.

In January 2025, DOD revised its instruction on substance use to include gambling disorder. This guidance outlines the steps the department and the military services should take to help prevent and treat gambling disorder among service members. However, the instruction does not identify a party responsible for implementation of certain tasks such as designating staff who will be trained to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat gambling disorders, and DHA has not established a time frame for issuing implementing guidance that would do so. In addition, each military service has substance use policies and procedures that include gambling disorder. However, these policies do not fully reflect all the changes made to the DOD instruction because according to officials, the services have not updated their guidance to meet the new requirements for gambling disorder. By defining all roles and responsibilities for gambling disorder prevention and treatment, and by ensuring that subsequent updates are made to service-specific guidance to meet the new requirements for gambling disorder, DOD can increase its ability to address issues related to gambling among service members.

The military services operate recreational gaming machines (i.e., slot machines) at certain installations overseas to provide recreational opportunities to service members, their adult family members, and other members of the community. According to DOD officials, revenues generated from these machines are reinvested in Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) quality of life programs such as childcare and fitness programs. However, the military services' instructions relating to MWR activities, which include these gaming operations, do not consistently include guidance with clear requirements for responsible gaming practices. Such guidance may include requirements for posting signage identifying the signs of gambling addiction and who to contact if help is needed. By issuing guidance with clear requirements for responsible gaming practices at overseas installations, the military services could help prevent or respond to problem gambling by users of their recreational gaming machines.

Why GAO Did This Study

Many forms of gambling have become increasingly available to service members in the United States, including sports betting and privately owned casinos located near major DOD installations. According to a 2021 academic study, service members may be more likely to have problem gambling issues than the general population due to demographic risk factors such as being younger and having a higher propensity for risk-taking.

Senate Report 118-58, which accompanied a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, includes a provision for GAO to review what is known about the degree to which service members are struggling with problem gambling and about the support provided to these individuals. This report examines the information DOD collects about problem gambling, the guidance in place to prevent and respond to problem gambling, and DOD's recreational gaming machines overseas.

GAO analyzed data on the number of active-duty service members with gambling-related diagnoses. GAO met virtually or in-person with officials at four installations and interviewed unit leadership, health care providers, financial counselors, and chaplains to discuss the prevalence of problem gambling and what services are provided to service members struggling with problem gambling. GAO reviewed gaming policies and procedures in the military services' MWR guidance and interviewed MWR officials to determine what guidance is in place to facilitate responsible gaming at overseas installations with recreational gaming machines.