Del. Paul Krizek (D-Mount Vernon) and Sen. Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania) are introducing bills to create a Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Advisory Committee within the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. This proposed committee would enable collaboration among prevention and treatment providers and operators of legal gaming in the Commonwealth on efforts to reduce the adverse effects of problem gambling. Krizek and Reeves said the committee would be made up of stakeholders and chaired by the Problem Gambling Prevention Coordinator at DBHDS.
Krizek said, “In just the last few years, we have considerably expanded gaming in the Commonwealth, with the recent opening of temporary casinos, sports betting, historical horse racing machines, online Lottery, and much more. … People who begin gambling in their teens are at a higher risk of developing a problem with gambling and that one of the fastest growing groups to have gambling problems are young adults.”
According to the 2021 VA Youth Survey, over 21% of high school students say that they had gambled or placed a bet in the past year and 64% of young adults aged 18-25 have gambled in the past 30 days.