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Advocates and recovery witnesses warn iGaming would magnify addiction and harm
Summary
Public‑health witnesses, problem‑gambling experts and residents in recovery told the Committee on Human Services that legalizing online casino‑style gaming would increase addiction, concentrate harms among vulnerable groups, and require more dedicated treatment funding than the bill initially designates.
Several witnesses warned that iGaming is highly addictive and will intensify treatment and social‑service needs if legalized without robust programs in place. Lehi Burnell of Stop Predatory Gambling testified the District’s lottery and gambling products already extract personal wealth and projected multi‑year losses, saying "In the last fiscal year alone, that was $79,000,000 of lost personal wealth." He argued legalization institutionalizes exploitation rather than stops illegal operators.
Briandora Schwall, a problem‑gambling expert, cited research showing elevated addiction rates in jurisdictions with iGaming and said the industry depends on people in financial distress; "Leading addiction experts say that iGaming is 10 times more addictive than its other gambling counterparts," she testified. Recovery witnesses and public commenters — including a former lawmaker and residents from Ward 7 — described personal trajectories of addiction and urged caution, expanded treatment funding and delaying the legislation until safeguards and services are better resourced.
