New Jersey senator calls for stronger gambling safeguards and treatment access
Regulation2 min read
In brief
- New Jersey Sen. John F. McKeon called for gambling addiction to be treated as a public health issue.
- He cited a 2023 Rutgers University study that found 5.6% of New Jersey residents were high-risk problem gamblers.
- His priorities are prevention and education, marketplace safeguards, and access to care.
Sen. John F. McKeon of New Jersey wants addiction tied to betting handled as a matter of public health, with a focus on prevention, safeguards in the market and better treatment access.
In an opinion essay dated Nov. 1, McKeon argued that responsibility for reducing gambling-related harm reaches past casinos and gambling regulators. He named specialists in public health, teachers, tech firms and the broader gambling sector as others who should take part.
A 2023 Rutgers University study found that 5.6% of New Jersey residents were high-risk problem gamblers, about triple the national average. Among surveyed people classed as high-risk problem gamblers, almost 28% reported suicidal thoughts and 20% reported a suicide attempt.
On the prevention side, McKeon noted that the lines separating gambling, gaming and investing are getting fuzzier, especially for the young. He wants education that makes the activities easier to tell apart. He was also worried that phones make gambling ever more available, often at any hour, and that new technologies make wagering quicker and simpler.
Improving access to treatment is the senator's third priority. He wants the state to review how much treatment it can currently provide, find shortfalls in services and get its behavioral health system ready for demand ahead. McKeon said that no state resident or family facing a crisis should be left unsure where to go or whether help exists.