The Virginia General Assembly is considering legislation that would fundamentally change how gambling exists in our commonwealth. If passed, online casino gambling would place a casino at a fingertip’s reach of every Virginian, accessible at any hour, in any place, with no natural breaks or barriers.
Online casino gambling is currently illegal in 42 of 50 states in the United States, and for good reason. The societal harms associated with these products consistently outweigh any promised benefits. In states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey, where online casino gambling is legal, gambling addiction is surging.
In New Jersey, which legalized online gambling in 2013, an estimated 6% of adults are actively struggling with gambling addiction — three times the national average. One study suggests it could be costing the state upwards of $350 million annually in social costs. Other states with online gambling continue to receive more and more calls coming into their problem gambling helplines and see ever-growing reliance on treatment systems, which only leads to needing more revenue to fund these services. For example, in Pennsylvania, which has authorized numerous forms of gambling, 34% of all calls to its helpline are related to online gambling.
Unlike traditional forms of gambling that require people to go somewhere specific and make a deliberate choice to participate, online casinos follow people home. They are always on, always within reach and are designed to keep users playing.
The research is also clear that iGaming is among the most addictive gambling products available, by a wide margin. The National Institutes of Health has noted online gambling carries an addiction rate eight times higher among young people than the general population. Another researcher suggested that iGambling could be 10 times more addictive than other betting products. This massive expansion of addictive, always-on gambling is a surefire recipe to increase gambling-related harm, particularly among young people. As Dr. Lia Nower, director of Rutgers Center for Gambling Studies, recently said, “The ones with the highest rates of problem gambling are lying in bed at night on their iPad while their partner’s asleep.”
As a Virginian, an advocate against the dangers of problem gambling and a mother, I can tell you this threat to our communities is very real. Problem gambling is not confined to an individual. It affects families, workplaces and communities. It’s also linked to increased rates of anxiety, depression, financial instability and family breakdown. People experiencing gambling addiction face significantly higher risks of suicide and often require long-term mental health and social support. These costs do not just disappear; they end up absorbed by our families, communities and public systems.
Calls to the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling Helpline have already increased by more than 1,200% over the last five years. Legalizing iGaming would only cause further damage. Research shows that bankruptcy rates in states with regulated online gambling increased by 27%. The consequences are more than just empty bank accounts. Supporters argue that regulation will rein in bad behavior, but experience in other states raises serious doubts. In Ohio, DraftKings alone reported 620 instances of underage betting totaling more than $2.7 million within a fully legal market. Those bets were placed before they were stopped. If minors are able to deposit and wager significant sums inside a regulated system, legalization is not eliminating risk. It is expanding access and responding only after harm has already occurred.
The supporters of online casino gambling point to potential revenue as justification, but revenue does not excuse or erase the potential harm. The expansion of online gambling is not easily reversed, even when consequences become apparent. Once a state becomes dependent on gambling dollars, it becomes far more difficult to acknowledge or address the damage those dollars create. Worse, the state lottery director recently testified that iGaming could result in the lottery losing as much as $500 million over the next 5 years, all of which would go to support K-12 public education.
Virginia’s new leadership, including Gov. Spanberger, has rightly emphasized the importance of mental health, family stability and affordability. Those priorities are incompatible with policies that dramatically increase access to the most addictive forms of gambling, particularly when that access is delivered directly into people’s homes and pockets.
The question facing Virginia is not whether online casinos are the next step in modernization and convenience. The question is whether we are prepared to accept the very real human and financial costs that come with them. Are we prepared to turn every smartphone into a casino and accept the consequences that follow?
Lawmakers must reject this expansion of online casino gambling and prioritize the long-term health and well-being of Virginia families over the short-term revenue promises from predatory iGaming companies. This is a decision that will shape our communities for years to come, and it is one Virginia should approach with caution and restraint.
Brianne Doura-Schawohl, a Fairfax resident, is an international problem gambling advocate and expert. She is the founder and CEO of Doura-Schawohl Consulting LLC, in addition to being the director of the national Campaign for Fairer Gambling.