According to a national study, Oklahoma (on a per capita basis) is No. 1 in the nation the number of casinos per capita and the “legality of daily fantasy sports.”

The WalletHub study, “2019’s Most Gambling Addicted States,” has Oklahoma as No. 2 in the nation in gambling machines per capita; No. 9 percentage of adults with gambling disorders; and No. 10 in gambling-related arrests.

Americans lose over $100 billion through gambling each year. WalletHub compared the 50 states across 20 factors, from presence of illegal gambling operations to lottery sales per capita to share of adults with gambling disorders.

According to the report, gambling exists in every state, even Hawaii and Utah, where gambling is prohibited by law. But not all gamblers are the same. “Recreational” or “social” gamblers, for instance, buy the occasional lottery ticket, take the rare casino trip or bet small stakes in fantasy sports. But they also are mentally able to quit at any point and prevent catastrophic financial loss.

Gambling disorder, as it’s known, affects about 1-3 percent of all U.S. adults. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Gambling can stimulate the brain’s reward system much like drugs such as alcohol can, leading to addiction.”

That addiction can lead to serious economic consequences. Individually, a male gambling addict accumulates an average debt of between $55,000 and $90,000 whereas a female averages $15,000. Most cannot afford to pay back what they owe. As a result, gambling addicts develop a high tendency to amass even more debt, suffer from other health issues, lose their jobs, strain their relationships or even commit crimes.

The gambling problem, however, is much bigger in some states than in others.

Oklahoma has a state lottery.

Oklahoma has 141 casinos that range from multi-million dollar resorts to additions to gas stations.

 There are 38 federally recognized Indian tribes in Oklahoma and 31 tribes have signed compacts to run casinos.  And the proliferation of gambling hurts poor people more than higher income families.

“…one of the main problems with lotteries is that many of the people who play are at lower socio-economic status and thus cannot necessarily afford the money they spend on lottery tickets,” said Robert Leeman, associate professor at the University of Florida.

“I am not sure about the best way to make lotteries less regressive, to be honest: perhaps by limiting the number of tickets any individual could buy from a given store at a given time, similar to the number of alcoholic drinks at a sporting event? Of course, people could then go to another store to buy more tickets, but my guess is that many would not take that step and the net result would be fewer tickets purchased per person.

“There could also be stronger federal regulations instituted regarding what types of images are incorporated in state lotteries (thinking of scratch off tickets mostly) to lessen the degree to which lottery tickets could be designed to target certain subgroups.

“This would be somewhat analogous to the limitations placed on cigarette and alcohol advertising to limit the degree to which glamorous images are used to market those substances.”

Oklahomans need to be on the alert for when a friend, co-worker or family member is becoming addicted to gambling. Some gambling addicts may need medical help.

“There are a number of signs including the individual’s thoughts being fixated on gambling to an inordinate degree; gambling with greater and greater amounts of money, including gambling in greater amounts to attempt to make up for losses (known as chasing losses),” said Leeman. “Gambling to the detriment of other aspects of one’s life (e.g., personal relationships, work attendance/performance) is another sign of a possible problem.

“Friends and family can encourage those with a possible gambling problem to see their doctor.

“While there is not any one therapy with standout evidence for its efficacy, there is evidence that certain forms of psychotherapy help with gambling and medications including antidepressants and there is some evidence that opiate antagonists FDA approved to treat alcohol and opiate use disorder also have evidence in treating gambling disorder.”

Ranking States for Gambling

Most gambling-addicted states

  1. Nevada
  2. South Dakota
  3. Montana
  4. Mississippi
  5. Oklahoma
  6. Alabama
  7. Nebraska
  8. Alaska
  9. Florida
  10. Utah

Gambling friendliness rank

  1. Nevada
  2. South Dakota
  3. Montana
  4. West Virginia
  5. Oklahoma
  6. Alabama
  7. Hawaii
  8. Nebraska
  9. Florida
  10. Utah

Gambling problems and treatment rank

  1. Mississippi
  2. Hawaii
  3. Missouri
  4. Illinois
  5. Tennessee
  6. Oklahoma

Most casinos per capita

  1. Oklahoma, South Dakota, Nevada
  2. 4. New Mexico
  3. 5. Montana
  4. 41. Georgia, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia

Most gambling machines per capita

  1. Nevada
  2. Oklahoma
  3. South Dakota
  4. Montana
  5. Mississippi
  6. Georgia, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia

Highest percentage of adults with gambling disorders

  1. Mississippi, Minnesota
  2. Kansas, New Jersey
  3. Nevada
  4. New Mexico, New York
  5. Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky
  6. Michigan

Most gambling-related arrests per capita

  1. Illinois, Hawaii, Mississippi
  2. Tennessee
  3. Maryland
  4. Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington

Signs of Gambling Disorders

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders symptoms associated with a gambling disorder include: “Persistent and recurrent problematic gambling behavior leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as indicated by the individual exhibiting four (or more) of the following in a 12-month period:

  1. Needs to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement.
  2. Is restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop gambling.
  3. Has made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back or stop gambling.
  4. Is often preoccupied with gambling (e.g., having persistent thoughts of reliving past gambling experiences, handicapping or planning the next venture, thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble).
  5. Often gambles when feeling distressed (e.g., helpless, guilty, anxious, depressed).
  6. After losing money gambling, often returns another day to get even (“chasing” one’s losses).
  7. Lies to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling.
  8. Has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of gambling.
  9. Relies on others to provide money to relieve desperate financial situations caused by gambling”.