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KSNF/KODE — Recently, the personal finance website, WalletHub released its report on 2023’s Most Gambling-Addicted States.
Included in their top ten gambling-addicted states is Oklahoma, which is ranked seventh overall. If personal gambling gets out of hand, it becomes a real medical condition, called Gambling Disorder, the report claims. According to “Psychology Today,” Gambling Disorder affects about 1% to 3% of all U.S. adults.
In an online publication about compulsive gambling, The Mayo Clinic states, “Gambling can stimulate the brain’s reward system much like drugs such as alcohol can, leading to addiction.” With a considerably high number of casinos operating in the state of Oklahoma, some say it’s no surprise the state ranks high on WalletHub’s newly released report.
“It’s a hidden disorder in that you don’t see obvious signs of impairment like you do with drugs and alcohol. It doesn’t have those kinds of physiological symptoms — they’re more internalized. It’s very easy for this to be hidden for long periods of time with no one else knowing that,” said Dr. Wiley Harwell, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Association on Problem Gambling and Gaming.
To establish the list of states where gambling addition is most prevalent, WalletHub compared each state across 20 key metrics. Some of the data points the at make up the report include the presence of illegal gambling operations, lottery sales per capita, and the share of adults with gambling disorders.
A state that’s home to 38 federally recognized tribal lands, Oklahoma is unique when it comes to gaming. In 1988, the Regan Administration established the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), with the goal of giving Native American tribes the opportunity to have their own sources of income. Because Native American reservations or tribal lands have tribal sovereignty, IGRA made it so that states have limited ability to prevent gaming on tribal land. But, the act also allowed for state governments to play a role in gaming regulations and restrictions.
After IGRA was established, bingo quickly became the primary form of gaming in Oklahoma. Eventually, betting on horse racing was permitted. Throughout most of the 1990s and early 2000’s, Oklahoma tribes continued petitioning the state government to allow varied types of gaming, including electronic and casino-style.
In 2004, their campaigning and lobbying paid off when a state question permitting electronic gaming was put before Oklahoma voters, who passed the state referendum. Just four years after that state question passed, the Oklahoma Historical Society reported 94 casinos with 41,771 gaming machines existed on Oklahoma tribal land. Currently, 43% of the entire state is considered to be tribal land.
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Today, you’ll find 33 of the state’s 38 tribes operating 143 casinos. Oklahoma has more Native American casinos than any other state in the nation. If you break the numbers down by individual counties, Dr. Harwell claims Ottawa County in Northeastern Oklahoma has more casinos per-capita, than any county in the United States. WalletHub says it’s facts like these that contributed to Oklahoma’s placement (#7) among the most gambling-addicted states in the U.S., according to the report.
“Gambling addiction has so much stigma and shame attached to it because it involves money. People don’t talk about money and people will not talk about it. So people are very reluctant to to receive help,” says Dr. Harwell.
The Oklahoma Association on Problem Gambling and Gaming (OAPGG) reports 1-in-16 (6.2%) Oklahomans meet criteria for gambling disorder, and 24.1% of Oklahomans are at-risk for problem gambling, the OAPGG states. For Oklahomans who feel they may have a gambling addiction, help is available and free for residents of that state — all paid for by gambling revenue. Many tribes also offer free gambling addiction services, and even partner with the OAPGG.
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Despite the state you live in, Dr. Harwell says anyone can become addicted to gambling and help is available 24/7.
“There’s a national helpline you can call. It’s 1-800-GAMBLER, and that’s answered state-by-state. For instance, in Missouri it would be routed to whoever answers the helpline for Missouri. In Oklahoma, it’s answered in Oklahoma City. When you call that number, you get a designated person that’s answering the helpline for that particular state. They’ll have a list of all the providers for individual outpatient counseling. They’ll have a list of all the gamblers anonymous group, and have the ability to do a brief assessment for suicide, because problem gamblers have the highest suicide attempt rate of any of the other addictive disorders. That helpline is what we want people to call, and the help they’ll receive comes in the form of outpatient counseling, or referral to Gamblers Anonymous groups, or more information,” said Dr. Harwell.
You can access WalletHub’s report on the Most Gambling Addicted States, HERE.
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