Kindbridge Research Institute Targets Gambling Disorders Among Veterans With New Study and Stigma Stand Down Program

Kindbridge Research Institute has released the study Gambling-Related Financial Harm in Military Communities. The work forms part of the Financial Stability Responsible Gaming Initiative and examines how financial difficulties and stigma reinforce each other for service members facing gambling disorders.

Mark Lucia, director of Strategic Insights for the Kindbridge Research Institute and a former medic with Army Special Forces, described a ready-made population already prone to these problems. “You have this ready-made population that sort of already is prone to these problems, both through the comorbidity conditions that they present themselves with, but then also the risk factors as well,” Lucia said. Those comorbidities include PTSD, anxiety, depression, traumatic brain injuries and suicide.

Risk Factors and Comorbidities in Military Communities

Kary Carbone, Kindbridge Project Manager for the Financial Stability & Responsible Gambling Initiative, said risks overlap with civilian populations yet differ in key ways. “I think the differences are heavily pointed to the comorbidities and the higher risk for PTSD and moving from place to place,” Carbone says. “Those (factors) increase risk for our service members.”

Lucia pointed to deployments, separation from home, and the search for escapism or stimulus. He noted motivations vary person to person but create windows of opportunity. Lucia has nine years of military experience and is familiar with the stigma attached to admitting weakness. He traced attitudes back to World War I, when commanders received reports and service members faced group meetings with 20-30 others who heard every detail. That practice has ended, yet concerns over security clearances, debt and related risks remain.

DoD Funding and the Path to Targeted Treatment

The Stigma Stand Down program delivers education and off-base treatment resources tailored to service members. Carbone said policies are updating but remain imperfect for problem gambling. “So (we’re) continuing with education, continuing to provide treatment resources off base.” The program also supports overburdened clinicians who need referral options.

Lucia said the Department of Defense has begun taking gambling disorders more seriously. Funds have been allocated through the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program. “It seems like it’s one of the first legitimate kind of decent-sized sources of federal funding on this issue that has existed,” Lucia said. As reported by CDC Gaming, these steps address gaps and reduce health inequities for veterans living with a gambling disorder.