Gambling addiction continues to plague the Silver State, and a local gambling center is stepping up its programs to combat it.
A 2025 study from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, reports that 15% of Nevada adults are at risk for problem gambling.
Modern forms of gambling aren't helping.
Stephanie Goodman with the Problem Gambling Center says, "There's sports betting on the phone. Prediction markets are incredibly predatory, in marketing by young men. And we need to be here, and we need to help people.”
Another study, written by Vincent O. Mancini et al. and published in the Journal of Gambling Studies last year, shows men aged 18 to 25 are at the highest risk of developing a gambling problem.
It's a statistic that hits home for Goodman.
“I have a son,” she says," and he knows that this is what I do for a living, but not everybody has that."
The Dr. Robert Hunter International Problem Gambling Center is based in Las Vegas and just expanded its services at its Reno office to include its intensive outpatient program.
The company hired an in-house clinician based in Reno to make this possible.
Patients go to the office for four three-hour sessions a week for six weeks.
“You're able to be three weeks into a program and look at someone who's maybe six weeks in and say, ‘oh, my gosh, that could be me in three more weeks,’” Goodman says.
Goodman says the program focuses on how the brain works, and why they're addicted.
“You're not weak. You actually have a biological disorder that is causing you to have this problem,” she says.
Studies show people with a gambling problem are five times more likely to commit suicide.
Goodman says it's important to watch for the warning signs if you gamble often.
For instance, if it takes over your thoughts.
"Let's say you normally enjoy hiking, right?” said Goodman. “You love to go hiking, you love to be with your family. And all of a sudden, those spots are not the same. You're now starting to think about gambling all the time."
