The US Defense Department has been raking in roughly $100 million a year from service members using official US military slot machines overseas, Report informs referring to Task and Purpose.
According to a report from NPR, there are more than 3,000 U.S. military-run slot machines at American installations overseas. And while people cannot legally enter most casinos in the US until they’re 21, service members as young as 18 can use the Pentagon’s slot machines.
The machines are managed by each military branch’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) groups. MWR groups tend to focus on service members’ home lives, family resilience, and general wellness. The Army MWR website, for example, provides resources for everything from child and youth services and soldiers’ financial challenges, to substance abuse and recreational activities like camping and sports.
But experts raised concerns about the impact gambling could have on service members. The National Council on Problem Gambling estimated that roughly 4% of troops “meet the criteria for moderate to severe gambling problems,” which is two times the national average, NPR reports.
Dr. Timothy Fong, co-director of the Gambling Studies program at UCLA, said that he met service members who became addicted to gambling in part because of the “easy access to slot machines” while stationed overseas.
Lawmakers have tried and failed to address the problem with legislation, NPR reported. They took issue specifically with the way gambling could make troops susceptible to blackmail or disrupt their ability to get security clearances. For some military jobs, receiving a high-security clearance takes into consideration service members’ financial situations and any possible debt they might have.