During Problem Gambling Awareness Month, it’s important to point out that Wisconsin has a great deal of gambling. We have a statewide lottery that is also part of the multistate lottery system, over twenty casinos and more on the way, and Governor Evers has unilaterally added online sports betting at the casinos run by three of the eleven tribes. We know the more readily available gambling is, the greater the likelihood of people becoming problem gamblers. Wisconsin already has an estimated three hundred thirty-three thousand problem gamblers.

One of the most vulnerable groups to become addicted to gambling is adolescents. This is thanks in large part to the internet. Gambling enterprises know exactly how to target teens. Knowing this, we again urge parents to talk to their teens about gambling, to monitor closely their online activity and digital devices. It’s easy to get hooked, but not so easy to stop a gambling problem.