ABERDEEN, MD — Although gambling screening in the U.S. military was mandated in 2019, few studies have assessed the prevalence of experiencing gambling problems or its association with adverse behavioral health concerns.
A secondary analysis used data from 17,098 active-duty U.S. military servicemembers participating in the 2018 iteration of the Health-Related Behaviors Survey. Researchers were from the Defense Health Agency at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, MD, and the Office of the Army Surgeon General and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, MD.
The study team identified servicemembers experiencing gambling problems with the 2-item Lie-Bet screener, a well-validated screener. Psychological distress was measured with the Kessler-6. Outcomes also included measures for insufficient sleep, tobacco use, marijuana use, and binge drinking. Weighted multivariable logistic regressions were used to evaluate associations.
The study published in the American Journal of Addiction found that about 1.6% of the weighted sample were identified as servicemembers experiencing gambling problems. Those experiencing gambling problems had 3.1-fold greater odds of severe psychological distress when compared to those who screened negative (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 2.06-4.67), according to the researchers, who added that similar associations were observed for individuals experiencing gambling problems and insufficient sleep, tobacco use and binge drinking. No association was detected between individuals experiencing gambling problems and marijuana use.1
“A very small percentage of U.S. military servicemembers were identified as experiencing gambling problems,” the authors wrote. “Servicemembers experiencing gambling problems had a significantly greater adjusted odds of psychological distress, insufficient sleep, tobacco use, and binge drinking.”
The study called for additional research to assess the potential benefits and risks of the new mandatory military screening effort, and” how best to support servicemembers and their families in mitigating deleterious health concerns associated with experiencing gambling problems.”
- Beymer MR, Anderson Goodell EM, Hoge CW. Association between experiencing gambling problems and adverse behavioral health outcomes among U.S. military service members, 2018. Am J Addict. 2025 Dec 5. doi: 10.1111/ajad.70105. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41346248.