DOD responds
The Pentagon has agreed to update its guidance after taking federal criticisms regarding its gambling disorders treatment to heart.
According to the Military Times on Saturday, Government Accountability Office (GAO) auditors accused the Department of Defense of not having a plan for conducting surveys on gambling disorders or collecting data.
efforts to address service members’ gambling problems don’t go far enough.”
The GAO report turned a spotlight on the DOD, essentially concluding that its “efforts to address service members’ gambling problems don’t go far enough.”
In its defense, Pentagon officials said it planned no surveys or data collection because “the number of service members seeking treatment is relatively low compared with other mental health concerns.”
The DOD had already updated its guidance on gambling disorders by providing steps for prevention and treatment. The GAO report, however, said the guidance doesn’t designate staff for training in the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, or treatment of gambling disorders.
Tight lips
While the DOD collects problem gambling-related data in its health survey, its only self-reported data. According to the auditors, this data stream may not reveal the full scope of problem gambling in the military, which was recently given extra exposure by Army Lt. Col. Isaac Lopez.
The Military Health System’s website published an article by Lopez who stated the ease of digital sports betting has increased unhealthy gambling behaviors across the US military.
Lopez, who is a clinical psychologist with Defense Health Agency-Public Health, said the behavioral disorder increase was “troublesome” and cited research that it could “lead to more significant problems” such as substance abuse.
unwilling to discuss gambling-related financial problems
According to the Military Times, financial counselors told GAO that military personnel may be additionally unwilling to discuss their gambling-related financial problems for fear it could compromise their security clearances.
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency stated it does “not track data to determine if gambling is the reason for security clearances being denied or revoked.”
The agency admitted, however, that while gambling was rarely a prime factor for security clearance penalties, it could play a contributing role.
Ultimately, the DOD agreed with the GAO to update its guidance “to clearly define responsibilities to prevent and respond to gambling disorder” with a completion deadline of late September 2026.
Dated data
Lopez’s call for urgency in 2025 suggests that a 2020 DOD gambling study may be past its shelf life, even though it revealed 51.3% of active duty military personnel reported participating in some form of gambling over 2019.
Lopez also cited a 2021 study claiming problem gambling scores for both serving military and veterans was over twice that of civilians.
Given the spread of sports betting across the US and the rise of prediction markets, the next DOD survey could paint an even more concerning figure.
