Lawmaker: Proliferation of gambling offerings in PR will further drive up addiction rates.

Rep. José Aponte Hernández

By THE STAR STAFF

Rep. José Aponte Hernández warned on Thursday that increasing gambling offerings in Puerto Rico will have a catastrophic effect on the mental health of the population given the rising rates of gambling addiction on the island.

“Currently, according to 2014 data, there are more than 55,000 citizens in Puerto Rico with gambling addictions,” the veteran lawmaker said in a written statement. “This represents 0.87 percent of the population, and these reports were made before the introduction of sports betting and only identify those who have been diagnosed with this condition, so the actual number must be much higher.”

“Expanding the gambling industry on the island with the alleged goal of collecting more tax revenue will have a catastrophic effect on the healthcare system, as the number of gambling addicts will surely exceed 100,000, and treatments for this condition are complex and expensive,” noted the former speaker of the island House of Representatives. “Treatment sessions for gambling addicts average $168.00, not including other costs, according to reports on the subject developed in 2025 by the University of Michigan Medical School. The process is also lengthy, with an estimated duration of up to 24 months. Furthermore, the National Council on Gambling Addiction in the United States projects that by 2025, the cost of treating these individuals in the states and territories, including Puerto Rico, will reach $14 billion. This is quite high, and with any expansion of the gambling base, it will only increase.”

According to available scientific information, the prevalence of pathological gambling in the United States ranges from 0.4 to 1 percent. Meanwhile, in Puerto Rico, the rate is higher than in any other jurisdiction in the nation, the chairman of the House Committee on Federal and Veterans Affairs noted. A 2018 report from the Mental Health and Anti-Addiction Services Administration confirmed that 7.4 percent of the island’s population may be pathological gamblers, and an additional 6.4 percent may experience gambling problems at some point in their lives.