‘Pay for it in blood’: Gambling addiction among military raising an alarm

DAYTON, Ohio ( WDTN ) — We are all familiar with the issues that often confront military men and women, from addiction and substance abuse to depression and mental illness. Now, an emerging issue is raising an alarm.

A study out of Rutgers University showed that U.S. service members were more than twice as likely to be problem gamblers than the general population.

That gambling problem could turn deadly as one Veteran Affairs medical center found that 64% of patients said gambling was the reason behind at least one suicide attempt.

The study’s results are backed up by the increase in the number of calls for help being placed to gambling addiction counselors and suicide prevention centers by members of the military.

Access to gambling outlets for military members is easier than you think. According to a report from the Government Accountability Office, as of 2017, more than 3,000 slot machines could be found on U.S. military installations in a dozen foreign countries, operated by the Department of Defense.

Add to that the rise in legalized online gambling, which began in Ohio in 2023. Since then, calls to the Ohio Problem Gambling Network increased 55 percent.

Dave Yeager, a U.S. Army veteran, knows first-hand the dangers that gambling addiction can bring. His addiction became so bad that he almost took his own life.

“When you are taught to tough everything out, and figure it out, and you can’t figure out what’s going on or how to defeat it,” he said. “it feels like it’s the only way out.”

He said he became addicted to gambling while serving, which in turn caused him to lose rank and even his first marriage.

“What’s gonna happen is that if you let this go on long enough, you are going to pay for it in blood,” said Dave Yeager, a U.S. Army veteran.

He said that if nothing is done to address the veteran gambling problem, a dire outlook is just ahead.

“It’s only a matter of time before you hear about the person who gave away secrets, or the non-commissioned officer who took his own life, or his family’s life, because this got so out of control,” he said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com.