HIGH STAKES: GAMBLING ADDICTION, BEYOND BORDERS is a three-part series looks at the public health movement to address gambling in Massachusetts and the United States, and what can be learned from two countries with very different models of gambling regulation: Norway and the United Kingdom. Funded by a grant by the Association of Health Care Journalists. Aired in 2025 on NPR, The World, KFF News, and New England Public Media.  Link at: https://www.nepm.org/high-stakes-gambling-addiction-beyond-borders

SUMMARY:

Massachusetts opened its first casino in 2015, along with a promise, by government leaders, to offer measures that help prevent gambling disorders. They pulled some ideas from other countries, but absent any federal guidelines, there has also been a lot of trial and error.

A decade on, the gambling landscape has dramatically changed. Mobile sports betting is legal in Massachusetts and 38 other states, while online casino games have only begun to take hold in the country. Now, public health leaders say it’s critical to consider new rules to help address gambling addiction before it’s too late to change course.

In this three-part series, NEPM’s Karen Brown looks at what can be learned from two countries with very different models of gambling regulation: Norway and the United Kingdom. We’ll also look at efforts inside the United States to address the new gambling reality through a public health lens.

This project was supported by a grant from the Association of Health Care Journalists, with funding from The Commonwealth Fund. It was edited by Dusty Christensen, with help from Elizabeth Román.

Part 1:“How much can you afford to lose?” Gambling in Norway is tightly controlled. Could that work here?

Part 2: “When the fun stops, stop.” Addiction experts consider the rise of gambling in the U.K. a test case

Part 3: “It blows up in their face.” Can a public health model lead the future of gambling in MA and U.S.?