Young men at highest risk of gambling harm in USA

Young men in the United States are hurting, this is the conclusion of the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University School of Social Work and its director, Lia Nower, who spoke to Newsweek and outlined the issue which has been fairly neglected amid the rapid expansion of gambling in the United States.

Some 36 states and Washington, D.C. have rolled out sports gambling in the country, with the mass legalization that happened over the past six years rapidly finding root with Gen Z punters. Nower cautions that the omnipresence of gambling has made it particularly dangerous to those individuals who struggle to control their habit.

According to the researcher, several specific factors determine how likely a person is to suffer from gambling harm, citing the age when someone starts gambling, as well as the longevity of the process. The longer people gamble, Nower explains, the more activities they start to dabble into, leading to gambling issues and deepening mental problems.

She puts the limelight on men aged as young as 18 but argues that anyone in the age group of 18-44 is at a fairly high risk of developing a problem with their gambling hobby. According to a report cited by Nowen for the publication, 19% of all men who gamble aged between 18 and 24 are at risk of developing this problem.

Her words are echoed by New York Council on Problem Gambling team leader Pamela Brenner-Davis, who seconds that opinion as she cautions about the future, which will see increasingly large amounts of money spent on gambling but also witness more people becoming involved with the activity.

Of course, there are already good examples of what can be done to anticipate for such situations. For one, Ohio has been at the frontlines of tackling problem gambling not by reacting but by being proactive. The state rolled out its first self-exclusion program designed to fully and reliably protect locals who are struggling to control their habits.

Gamban, a cutting-edge solution, has been tapped into to ensure that consumers will be protected. Yet, this is hardly the only solution that has been put to use. Ohio has also turned to GamFin, a company that helps consumers tackle their debt stemming from reckless gambling, seeing this as an important part of the recovery process that is often overlooked by other problem gambling treatment and support options.

Image credit: Unsplash.com