Colorado mental health care providers team up to tackle problem gambling
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Daniel Umfleet, CEO and founder of Denver-based Kindbridge Behavioral Health, says most people who use his telehealth services never discuss gambling as a potential behavioral issue until they seek treatment.
Why it matters: With digital sportsbooks available to any Coloradan with a smartphone since legal online sports gambling launched in May 2020, calls to gambling helplines have skyrocketed in Colorado and the U.S.
State of play: Roughly 16% of people who gamble in Colorado may be at risk for problematic wagering, Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado president Jamie Glick tells us, citing a 2023 resident survey.
Driving the news: Local mental health treatment providers say they're expecting a spike in calls for problem gambling help after this Sunday's Super Bowl — the single-biggest betting event in the U.S.
- For some gamblers, the game represents one final opportunity to earn back money lost during the NFL's regular season, Glick adds.
Between the lines: Gambling disorder, defined as repeated and ongoing betting leading to issues in a person's life, was reclassified in 2013 in the mental health industry's guide for diagnosing mental disorders.
- But that change didn't necessarily prompt an industrywide shift for identifying and managing it as a mental health issue, per Umfleet.
Kindbridge, which specializes in treating gambling disorder, is partnering with Axis Integrated Mental Health to offer specialized treatment for depression and anxiety, which can fuel compulsive gambling.
- Axis and Kindbridge provide advanced care, including a therapy using magnetic pulses to regulate mood and impulse control called Deep TMS, and esketamine, a nasal spray used for depression.
Threat level: Chasing losses and betting with borrowed money are risky behaviors that can signal problem gambling.
- Sports betting is the top wagering method for hotline (1-800-GAMBLER) calls, while financial harm is often cited as the reason they're seeking help, Glick tells us.
- Calls to the hotline rose by 20% between 2021 to 2024, Glick adds.
- Nearly $1.8 billion is expected to be legally wagered on the Super Bowl with U.S. sportsbooks, per the American Gaming Association.
The other side: Sportsbooks regularly encourage responsible gaming.
- This includes in-app spending limits and avoiding chasing losses, something former quarterback Kurt Warner touted in an NFL-backed PSA aired during games starting in 2023.