US Army Has a Gambling Problem, New Wired Expose Argues

Slot machines were once put forward as a way to pass the time on US army bases, but the thing is, these machines are slowly and steadily turning staff into addictsImage Source: Shutterstock.com

The United States Armyis in the grips of a gambling addiction pandemic, with the exact numbers not clearly known, but a Wire article is now seeking to tell the story of the people affected by it.

The key culprit? Slot machineson bases around the world have been leading to a rise in gambling addiction among servicemen and women who have found themselves forced into the habit.

Army Service Members Find It Hard to Avoid Gambling

One of the people interviewed, Dave Yeager, spoke to the publication about how, as he was redeployed from one base to the next, the same thing was there – a shiny-looking gambling parlor.

Yeager spoke to the publication about how his early fascination with the slot machines grew into something far more sinister, an addiction that he didn’t want to share with anyone on the base and bases he was working at, as he feared that there was no real way to help him.

However, he is wrong. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that veteransand service members are, in fact, far more likely to suffer from gambling addiction and other addictive behaviors.

The military has been scooping up a fair chunk of revenue from slot machines and other gambling products as well, but conversely, many critics argue that the establishment has not tried to reduce the level of gambling-related harm.

Presently, there are 1,889 slot machinesacross 79 locationsabroad, including in places such as South Korea, Japan, and Germany, and they are all operated under the Army Recreation machine Program, which brings in around $70.9 million a year, based on the 2024 fiscal year numbers.

The net proceeds of the program stood at $53 million. But these numbers are a far cry from what the program was bringing as per a 2017 report, which argues that it was not unlikely for the program to bring in $100 million.

The program is also trying to max out its proceeds by tracking which games prove to be the most popular with servicemen and investing in them, by setting them at locations around the world.

The Army Is Min-Maxing Its Gambling Profits

88 Fortunes, for example, has proven to be a particularly popular game, something that the military knows.

As the military is busy min-maxing their proceedings from gambling by their service members, however, the problem with gambling addiction becomes more pronounced and could potentially hinder the army’s readiness to fulfill its duties.

So, the question is – is that a gamble the US Army is willing to ngake?