New Jersey state Sen. John F. McKeon has called for gambling addiction to be treated as a public-health issue, arguing that the state needs a strategy built around prevention, safer marketplaces and reliable access to treatment.
In a Nov. 1 opinion essay published by NJ.com, McKeon said the issue could no longer be left solely to casinos and gambling regulators. He argued that gambling remained legitimate entertainment and an important part of New Jersey’s economy, but that its risks required education, prevention and accessible help.
McKeon pointed to Rutgers University’s 2023 prevalence study, which put the share of New Jersey residents classified as high-risk problem gamblers at 5.6%, or about three times the national average. The study defined high-risk gamblers as past-year participants scoring at least eight on the Problem Gambling Severity Index.
The senator highlighted the severity of the harm recorded in that population. Nearly 28% of surveyed high-risk gamblers reported suicidal thoughts and 20% said they had attempted suicide. McKeon said gambling problems can also bring debt, damaged relationships, lost jobs and serious behavioral-health challenges.
Rutgers surveyed 3,512 residents and found that about 61% had gambled in the preceding year, below roughly 70% in the earlier prevalence study. The university cautioned that the 2021 collection period may have affected participation because of COVID-19 shutdowns in 2020.
The study also recorded a shift in how residents gambled. The share gambling exclusively online rose from about 5% in the 2017 study to nearly 15%, while the proportion using both online and land-based venues climbed from about 19% to 36%. Sports-wagering participation increased from about 15% to 19%.
McKeon said gambling is now commonly available by phone around the clock, while sports betting, online casinos, prediction markets, artificial intelligence, social media and new payment technologies make wagering easier and faster. He warned that the lines between gambling, gaming and investing can be particularly blurred for younger people. “A bet is not an investment, and an investment should not be treated like a bet,” he wrote.
His proposed marketplace response calls for industry representatives, regulators, technology companies, educators and public-health experts to examine market changes and update consumer safeguards. As gambling becomes more personalized, he argued, protection tools should become smarter as well.
The call follows New Jersey’s adoption of mandatory data-driven responsible-gambling monitoring for online operators in October, as reported last month. McKeon’s essay nonetheless pressed for a broader review of treatment capacity, service gaps and the behavioral-health system’s ability to meet future demand.
New Jersey already funds gambling education and treatment programmes, while its self-exclusion programme covers Atlantic City casinos, sports-wagering facilities, internet gaming and combinations of those activities. McKeon said no resident or family in crisis should have to struggle to determine where help is available, adding that innovation should not move faster than responsibility.
