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Problem gambling is costing Oregonians billions of dollars each year. And the issue is only expected to grow as sports betting and other forms of legalized gambling increase throughout the state and across the nation.
The reality is that certain forms of addiction can fly under the radar and be so cemented in society that most people don’t even realize it’s a problem. Workaholism is one such behavioral addiction. Problem gambling is another.
Often undertreated and underrecognized, gambling has been embedded into Americans’ lives for years now in the forms of the stock market, cryptocurrency, meme coins, bingo, and sports betting.
Nowadays, it’s becoming harder and harder to identify problem gambling since it’s so ingrained in our daily lives and is even being exposed to young people through the mediums of video games, social media, and phone apps.
State governments have long used gambling to boost their revenues. Regardless, ways of gambling legally were fairly limited until a Supreme Court decision in 2018 allowed states to authorize sports betting.
In Oregon, this is becoming more and more of an issue. Approximately 88,000 Oregonians meet the criteria for having a gambling addiction, and an additional 180,000 are currently at risk.
Despite this fact, only 796 individuals have received treatment through Oregon’s Problem Gambling Services this past fiscal year. This has obviously intensified the problem.
In 2019, the Oregon Lottery introduced something called the Scoreboard, which facilitated online sports betting. By December 2024, monthly wagers had exceeded $90 million and had reached nearly $3 billion by March of 2025.
It’s difficult to even identify a gambling addiction because it’s such a concealed thing at times. Unlike substance abuse, the signs here aren’t as obvious, which allows the addiction to continue.
Some ways to address this addiction can be by dispelling gambling myths and involving family members to mitigate the addiction’s broader impact. As a positive response, there are organizations like Lewis and Clark’s Problem Gambling Services, which offer free counseling and support to anyone affected by this addiction.
Still, the need persists to educate people and prevent this problem from worsening.
