New Jersey state Sen. John F. McKeon has called for gambling addiction to be treated as a public-health issue, arguing that regulation of casinos and betting alone cannot address the harm associated with problem gambling.
In a Nov. 1 opinion essay published by nj, McKeon proposed a three-part response: prevention and education, stronger safeguards in the marketplace, and better access to treatment. He said the state should preserve legitimate gambling entertainment and economic activity while ensuring that new technology does not outpace responsibility.
McKeon cited a 2023 Rutgers University gambling-prevalence study that put New Jersey’s high-risk problem-gambling rate at about three times the national average. Among surveyed people classified as high-risk problem gamblers, nearly 28% reported suicidal thoughts and 20% said they had attempted suicide.
The Rutgers study, “The Prevalence of Online and Land-Based Gambling in New Jersey,” was funded by the Division of Gaming Enforcement and prepared by researchers led by Lia Nower at Rutgers University’s Center for Gambling Studies. It surveyed 3,512 state residents aged 18 and older between December 2020 and April 2021, examining self-reported participation across 15 activities, from lottery games and casino play to sports wagering, fantasy sports, cryptocurrency trading and high-risk stocks.
McKeon said the distinctions among gambling, gaming and investing can be increasingly unclear to young people. “A bet is not an investment, and an investment should not be treated like a bet,” he wrote.
He also pointed to gambling’s near-constant availability on mobile phones. Sports betting, online casinos, prediction markets, artificial intelligence, social media and newer payment technologies have made betting easier and faster, he argued, and should prompt industry, regulators, technology companies, educators and public-health experts to reassess the safeguards surrounding gambling.
New Jersey already requires online casino and sportsbook operators to offer deposit, loss and time limits, as well as cool-off periods. Patrons can also self-exclude from gaming for one year, five years or permanently. The Division of Gaming Enforcement oversees brick-and-mortar casinos, internet gaming and sports wagering, while other state bodies oversee lotteries, horseracing, fantasy gaming and certain games of chance. McKeon’s call predates New Jersey’s adoption of data-driven responsible-gaming rules, as we reported in October.
New Jersey later made a state effort to integrate gambling-disorder care into its existing behavioral-health network. In December 2024, New Jersey Human Services awarded $720,000 in six contracts to providers in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Essex, Monmouth and Passaic counties. Each provider was required to hire at least one full-time gambling-disorder clinician for treatment and case-management services.
The department said more than 90% of people with gambling disorders have a co-occurring behavioral-health need. The funded services were designed to address related financial, relationship, legal and social-service challenges alongside mental-health or substance-use treatment.
McKeon said the state should assess its treatment capacity, identify gaps and prepare its behavioral-health system for future needs. “No New Jersey resident or family in crisis should have to struggle to figure out where to turn or whether treatment is available,” he wrote.
