Study Reveals Higher Rate of Gambling Harm Among US First Responders

A new US study has highlighted concerns about gambling-related harm among firefighters, police and emergency medical personnel, finding unusually high levels of gambling participation and links to post-traumatic stress symptoms and military service. Gambling Problems Affect 44% of US First Responders The research, released by the Kindbridge Research Institute at the start of Responsible Gaming Education Month, surveyed 507 first responders currently in service across the US. The work was done by EPIC Global Solutions, with assistance from the Colorado Division of Gaming. 94.5% of participants reported gambling in the past year, with 44% of those who gambled meeting the study’s threshold for problem gambling and another 39% classified as having some degree of risk. Online sports betting was the most frequently reported activity. The highest proportion of workers above the problem-gambling threshold was found among firefighters (49%). Police officers and emergency medical services personnel each reported 42%, and emergency medical technicians 39%. Some respondents had more than one first-responder job, so it was not possible to tell whether the differences were due to the respondents’ occupations, the researchers cautioned. Mental health was another big factor. Half the sample screened positive for possible PTSD related symptoms. The analysis found that more severe PTSD symptoms were significantly associated with higher gambling-risk scores. Those who screened negative for being at risk for possible PTSD were 89% less likely to fall into a higher gambling-risk category. Gambling problems were also associated with lower mental-health scores. Military Background Emerges as Key Gambling Risk Factor in First Responders Military experience appeared to increase susceptibility. Among those currently serving in the military, nearly 70% of first responders met the criteria for problem gamblers compared to 52.5% of those who had previously served in the military. Current military personnel were 11.4 times more likely to be problem gamblers than respondents without military experience. The authors said the findings indicate that gambling questions should be incorporated as part of existing health and wellbeing programs for emergency-service workers, as well as more tailored education, prevention and early-intervention initiatives. They said unions, employers, regulators and mental-health providers could also do more to identify people at risk of problems before gambling issues worsen. However, the report described the findings as preliminary. The sample was not geographically representative of the country as a whole, some states were overrepresented, and recruitment methods made it difficult to independently confirm first-responder status. Initially, 888 survey responses were received, but 281 were excluded after reliability and validation checks. The researchers said that future studies should have 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, taking the discussion to a European level.