Illinois lawmakers have advanced a bill to classify compulsive gambling as a substance use disorder and enable the expansion of resources for prevention and treatment. If passed, the shift would more closely align Illinois’ policy with the clinical definition of gambling disorder as a non-substance-related addiction.
As WCIA.com reported, if successful, Senate Bill 0118 would add gambling disorder to the Substance Use Disorder Act. The change in classification would allow Illinois’ Department of Human Services (DHS) to create programs for recognizing, preventing, and treating gambling problems. It would also permit DHS to fund grants for state-specific intervention programs.
The bill’s sponsor, Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest), said the change will help lower the hurdles facing individuals seeking treatment and recovery.
Gambling releases dopamine and can quickly escalate from a fun pastime to a serious issue. By recognizing gambling disorder as a health condition, we are breaking down barriers to treatment and recovery.
When gambling gets out of hand, it can have a snowball effect on a person’s life. It’s important that a system of care is in place to support individuals without judgment as they recover.
Proposed change supported by clinical definition
According to a 2021 statewide assessment, DHS found that 3.8% of Illinois adults had experienced gambling problems. An additional 7.7% of the adult population showed a risk of developing a future gambling problem.
Further, it found that in fiscal 2021, the number of problem gambling assessments conducted by treatment providers increased by 440% over the year prior. The number of people continuing to gambling-related treatment also jumped 185%.
The assessment, undertaken in response to Illinois’ recent legal gambling expansion, resulted in a 250-page report that included ten suggested strategies to address problem gambling. Recommendations included the provision of consistent funding for problem gambling prevention and services, increasing awareness, and improving access to holistic care.
By classifying gambling addiction as a substance use disorder under state laws, Illinois will be better equipped to meet those needs. As noted, the change would also bring the state’s gambling disorder classification in line with the most recent clinical definition.
Previously, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) placed “pathological gambling” with kleptomania and pyromania under “Impulse Control Disorders Not Elsewhere Classified.”
However, with the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) 2013 release of the DSM-5 and its 2022 update, pathological gambling became “gambling disorder.” The DSM-5 defines gambling disorder as “persistent and recurrent problematic gambling behavior leading to clinically significant impairment or distress.”
The update also moved the diagnosis from its previous section to a new “Substance-Related and Addictive Disorder” bucket, a shift Illinois’ proposed new law echoes.
The bill unanimously passed the Illinois Senate last week. This week, SB0118 received its first reading in the House and is now before the House Rules Committee.
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