Study Reveals 44% Problem Gambling Rate Among US First Responders
Kindbridge Research Institute study of 507 US first responders found 94.5% gambled in the past year, with 44% of gamblers meeting problem gambling criteria. Rates reached 49% among firefighters. Strong associations exist with PTSD symptoms and military service, where current personnel were 11.4 times more likely to be affected. Findings are preliminary due to sample limitations.
SCCG Take — Regulators and wellness programs should integrate gambling screening into existing PTSD support for first responders, particularly those with military ties, to address risks before they escalate.
A new US study has found unusually high levels of gambling participation among firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical personnel, with 44% of gamblers meeting criteria for problem gambling.
The research from the Kindbridge Research Institute, conducted by EPIC Global Solutions with assistance from the Colorado Division of Gaming, surveyed 507 first responders currently in service. It was released at the start of Responsible Gaming Education Month. As reported by Gambling News, 94.5% of participants gambled in the past year. Online sports betting was the most frequently reported activity.
Core Findings on Harm, PTSD, and Military Service
Firefighters recorded the highest proportion above the problem-gambling threshold at 49%. Police officers and emergency medical services personnel each reported 42%, while emergency medical technicians stood at 39%. Half the sample screened positive for possible PTSD symptoms. More severe PTSD symptoms were significantly associated with higher gambling-risk scores. Those who screened negative for PTSD risk were 89% less likely to fall into a higher gambling-risk category. Gambling problems were also associated with lower mental-health scores.
Military experience stood out as a key risk factor. Among those currently serving in the military, nearly 70% met the criteria for problem gamblers. This compared to 52.5% of those who had previously served. Current military personnel were 11.4 times more likely to be problem gamblers than respondents without military experience.
Limitations and Call for Targeted Interventions
The authors said gambling questions should be incorporated into existing health and wellbeing programs for emergency-service workers. They called for more tailored education, prevention, and early-intervention initiatives. Unions, employers, regulators, and mental-health providers could do more to identify people at risk before problems worsen.
The report described the findings as preliminary. The sample was not geographically representative, some states were overrepresented, and recruitment methods made independent verification of first-responder status difficult. Initially 888 survey responses were received, but 281 were excluded after reliability and validation checks. Future studies should include stronger verification of occupational status, more representative samples, and longer-term designs. The study will be presented at the European Conference on Gambling Studies and Policy Issues in Copenhagen on September 9.
The data make clear that first-responder wellness frameworks must account for the overlap between PTSD, military background, and gambling harm. Operators and regulators now have a concrete signal to examine how existing responsible gaming tools perform in these specific populations.
Reporting: GamblingNews
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
This data screams for gambling harm screening in first responder wellness programs, especially where PTSD and military service overlap.
We have worked with regulators and operators in every US market for three decades. When 44% of the people running into burning buildings are hitting problem gambling thresholds, responsible gaming is not a checkbox — it is a public safety issue that demands cross-sector coordination we help build daily.
- 94.5% of first responders gambled last year; 44% met problem gambling criteria, rising to 49% among firefighters
- Current military personnel 11.4x more likely to show problem gambling; PTSD symptoms strongly correlated with risk
- Study limited by non-representative sample and self-reporting; authors urge gambling screening in existing wellness programs
SCCG angle: SCCG connects regulators, operators, and responsible gaming technology partners across all 39 US jurisdictions. When data like this surfaces, we bring the right coalition to the table — from screening tool developers to employee assistance program providers — so harm prevention gets embedded in licensing, marketing, and product design before the next study drops.
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