Rhiana Stark, Author at Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling

The Problem Gambling Podcast

Jan 19, 2026 | PODCAST, RECOVERY POSTCASTS

A podcast exploring issues surrounding problem gambling and gambling related harm. Presented by addiction counsellor, Barry Grant, and addiction counsellor, author and expert by lived experience, Tony O Reilly. This podcast is an awareness raising project of Extern Problem Gambling, part of the registered charity, Extern Ireland. https://www.problemgambling.ie/

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Fall In Podcast

Jan 19, 2026 | PODCAST, RECOVERY POSTCASTS

Battling gambling problems as a veteran or active-duty service member takes significant support. Fight stigma and build your knowledge with Army veteran Dave Yeager’s Fall In Podcast. Conversations cover the latest in military gambling and recovery resources. LISTEN

The WAGER, Vol. 30(13) – Bet my life on it: The relationship between gambling disorder and suicidality

Jan 8, 2026 | RESEARCH

Read the original article on The BASIS here. By John Slabczynski Like other addictive behaviors, gambling disorder is linked with risk for suicidality. This is particularly alarming during an era of gambling expansion. To save lives, public health advocates need to understand this relationship. For example, to what extent does gambling disorder increase the risk for suicidality when co-occurring conditions, such as depression and anxiety, are accounted for? This week, The WAGER reviews a study by Adonay Kidane and colleagues that explored the relationships among gambling disorder, suicidality, and co-occurring conditions. What was the research question? How do gambling disorder and other mental health issues relate to suicidality within a large nationally representative sample? What did the researchers do? The researchers used two nationally representative Swedish datasets, the National Patient Register (NPR) and the Cause of Death Register (CDR). The NPR includes records of mental health disorder diagnoses, suicide attempts, and more. The researchers used it to identify 3,594 patients diagnosed with gambling disorder between 2005-2019. Using a case-control design, they selected two age- and gender-matched patients from the dataset without gambling disorder, resulting in 10,782 total participants. The researchers then merged in CDR data on completed suicides. Through logistic regression, they explored how gambling disorder and other mental health diagnoses relate to suicidality, which was defined as the presence of either a suicide attempt or completed suicide. What did they find? Participants diagnosed with gambling disorder (17.7%) had 2.8 greater odds of suicidality compared to matched controls (1.6%) (see Figure), controlling for demographics and comorbid mental health diagnoses. In this model, substance use disorders had the highest risk increase for suicidality (see Figure).

Figure. Displays the odds of suicidality as a function of several potential risk factors among the total sample (N = 10,782). Odds ratios can be interpreted as having X times higher odds of reporting an outcome. * denotes a statistically significant relationship. Why do these findings matter? These findings indicate that gambling disorder is associated with increased risk for suicidality even when the researchers accounted for other conditions that might independently create risk for suicide. This underscores the need for routine suicide risk-assessment and safety planning among those experiencing gambling disorder. Every study has limitations. What are the limitations in this study? This study was a secondary analysis of existing datasets, so it is limited by how the original data were collected. The NPR, for example, only identifies cases for which a formal diagnosis was made. Most people with gambling disorder do not seek help, so those who do get formally diagnosed might have more severe cases compared to the general population. For more information: Individuals who are concerned about their gambling may benefit from engaging with Gamblers Anonymous. Others who are concerned that they may hurt themself may benefit from visiting the CDC webpage on suicide prevention. Additional resources can be found at the BASIS Addiction Resources page. —John Slabczynski

Inside DraftKings’ Responsible Gaming Efforts

Dec 17, 2025 | HEALTHY PLAY, HELP, PROBLEM GAMBLING, RESOURCES, SPORTS BETTING

MNAPG posed questions to Lori Kalani, DraftKings' chief responsible gambling officer to learn more about DraftKings’ problem gambling efforts. Below are her responses: MNAPG: We understand that My Budget Builder and My Stat Sheet are new responsible gaming (RG) tools for DraftKings. Can you share more about them? LK: My Budget Builder guides customers through a simple process to set personalized entertainment budgets, reminders and limits. My Stat Sheet provides customers with a clear personalized snapshot of their play activity, including time spent, deposits, withdrawals, wagers and outcomes. Both are designed to help customers make informed decisions and play responsibly. MNAPG: What information is included with alerts and does anything happen if a customer exceeds the limits they set? LK: We proactively encourage every player to set budgets for their deposit amounts, play time and size of bets, and we provide access to a range of tools and resources with which they can engage. Customers receive reminders when they approach the limits they’ve set. If a limit is reached, the platform enforces it automatically—for example, preventing additional deposits or gameplay until the current limit resets. Once a limit is set, it cannot be increased or cancelled until the timeframe for the limit has ended. More restrictive limits can be added at any time. MNAPG: How many customers are currently using some of DraftKings’ responsible gaming tools and resources? LK: Since launching our Responsible Gaming Center in 2024—a centralized hub for all the DraftKings RG tools and resources available at rg.draftkings.com—more than 5.6 million customers have visited. Approximately 3.5 million unique customers have used My Stat Sheet since the industry-first tool was introduced early last year. This June, we launched our newest tool, My Budget Builder, and we expect usage to increase throughout the NFL season. MNAPG: How do you help make customers aware that these tools and resources exist? LK: We highlight responsible gaming tools and resources throughout the customer journey. Some examples include promoting RG tools and resources at onboarding, in-app messaging, emails and various campaigns throughout the year. Within the app and online, an RG shield icon appears at the top of the screen, making the DraftKings Responsible Gaming Center just one click away so that tools and resources are seamlessly available as part of the product experience. To mark this year’s Responsible Gaming Education Month, we launched an NFL sweepstakes that incentivizes customers who use tools like My Budget Builder and My Stat Sheet with the chance to win weekly NFL ticket prizes, culminating in a grand prize trip to the Super Bowl. MNAPG: Do you work with any external organizations or researchers to improve your responsible gaming efforts? LK: Yes. We work with organizations such as the Cambridge Health Alliance, BetBlocker, Evive, the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) and the International Center for Responsible Gaming. Our work with Cambridge Health Alliance includes expanding research on responsible gaming and facilitating new opportunities to educate customers about the tools and resources that are available to help them play responsibly. We also provide funding to the National Council on Problem Gambling. DraftKings’ State Council Funding (SCF) program provides annual donations to 35 state problem gaming councils across the country to support their work. Since announcing the SCF program in 2022, we have donated millions of dollars, including to the Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling. (Editor’s note: MNAPG used the funds provided by DraftKings to develop a pilot casino employee training program that’s currently being tested at Canterbury.) MNAPG: Do you proactively identify customers who may be having challenges? If so, how is this done? LK: We proactively encourage every player to set budgets for their deposit amounts, play time and size of bets, and we provide access to a range of tools and resources with which they can engage. We use modeling techniques and advanced technology, including machine learning, to help identify when someone may no longer be playing for fun, which is then reviewed by our Responsible Gaming team for further analysis. MNAPG: Does DraftKings work with the other members of the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) to ensure that if one of your customers is given a time out or excluded that it is active across all the other platforms? LK: Today, most jurisdictions where we operate maintain shared exclusion databases, which are distributed to all licensed operators. In some states, operators also contribute their own self-exclusion data. While there isn’t yet an industry-wide system among operators, through ROGA we have announced the creation of a centralized exclusion clearinghouse. The first phase will introduce a national shared self-exclusion list so that when a player self-excludes with one member operator, that exclusion will also extend across all ROGA member platforms. MNAPG: How do you see your RG tools and resources evolving over the next 2–3 years? LK: In the next few years, we expect RG tools and resources to further evolve through AI and personalization. Smarter technology will allow these tools and resources to adapt dynamically, making them even more intuitive and seamless to the customer. MNAPG: How do you measure success in responsible gaming initiatives? LK: We consider, among other things, adoption rates, customer feedback and independent evidence-based research as we continue to enhance our responsible gaming tools and resources. Success means responsible play continues to be embedded in the DraftKings experience for every customer.

Fall Conference Takeaways

Dec 17, 2025 | ABOUT MNAPG, ADVOCACY, PROFESSIONALS, YOUTH GAMBLING

MNAPG attended two conferences in October: the mid-year Indian Gaming Association (IGA) conference and the International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG) conference. Here are some takeaways. Indian Gaming Association Conference At the IGA, the focus was on the growing concern about prediction markets and casino sweepstakes—and the impact these unregulated, untaxed platforms could have on tribal revenues. Legalized gambling, whether you agree with it or not, has allowed Minnesota tribal nations to expand and diversify their economies and provide a wide range of services to their communities. These market disrupters are viewed as existential threats to tribal sustainability and independence. (Editor’s note: As of November 5, 2025, the Minnesota Attorney General’s office sent cease-and-desist letters to 14 illegal gambling operators—sports betting and casino sweepstakes.) The American Gaming Association also recognizes the threats these new platforms pose—not only to gambling revenue but also to consumer protection. Our current federal anti-regulatory environment could significantly change how people engage with gambling. By redefining gambling as a commodity and placing it under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), these platforms may create a stronger illusion of control—skill rather than luck. This illusion is a common fallacy among gamblers, especially sports bettors. Mislabeling gambling products as “trading” blurs the line between investing and gambling, putting consumers at risk. The way these platforms target young adults is particularly troubling. They are designed for continuous, habit-forming engagement, with no guardrails or risk warnings. The discussions were sobering and, for MNAPG, highlighted yet another area where we need to pay close attention and raise awareness within the community and among policymakers. International Center for Responsible Gaming Conference The ICRG conference, a day and a half of research reveals, provided an opportunity to hear firsthand the latest findings in responsible gambling, explore emerging tools and regulatory practices, and discuss the growing integration of responsible gambling principles into the broader gambling landscape. While much work remains, I’m encouraged by the shift among some operators to place greater emphasis on consumer protection. Our advocacy efforts at the national and state levels are having a positive impact, and we need to continue being the thorn in operators’ sides. One session examined the connection between gambling literacy and financial literacy and the need to evolve both so that users understand how risky behaviors can develop through new mediums like digital finance, investment platforms and social media. Another session focused on artificial intelligence and emphasized that AI should amplify human insight, not replace it. Advances in AI may eventually enhance early risk detection and enable personalized responsible gambling interventions—but only if we eliminate bias and uphold the highest standards of privacy protection. Finally, researchers studying youth emphasized the need to create relatable prevention materials and deliver them in the spaces where young people actually spend their time, rather than where we think they should be. They also highlighted the importance of developing prevention programs that account for gender, age and cultural identity.