A couple of lawmakers this week brought back bipartisan legislation that addresses gambling addiction among service members.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren D-Mass., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., reintroduced the Gambling Addiction Prevention Act on July 9. The bill directs the Pentagon to craft policies and programs to prevent and treat gambling problems among service members. The department would also have to update its regulations and guidance on behavior health to explicitly include gambling disorder.
According to estimates by the National Council on Problem Gambling cited by the lawmakers, nearly 56,000 service members meet criteria for gambling disorder
"It's our duty as Americans to honor the sacrifices servicemembers and veterans make for our country," Warren said in a release. "Senator Daines and I are reintroducing our bipartisan legislation to make sure veterans struggling with gambling addiction can get the treatment they need."
When Warren and Daines first introduced the GAP Act in 2018, a portion of its language was signed into law as part of the fiscal year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act.
The legislation has an identical companion bill in the House.
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