CADCA Recommendations 

To better understand and prevent gambling-related harm among youth and adults, CADCA recommends stronger national data collection efforts. Currently, major surveillance systems provide limited insight into how people engage with gambling or how gambling behaviors intersect with substance use. This lack of information and data makes it difficult for communities and policymakers to identify trends and support effective prevention strategies. 

CADCA recommends adding gambling-related questions to the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Monitoring the Future study and creating questions about youth gambling in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. This would allow for more comprehensive monitoring across age groups and communities. 

Stronger data collection is especially important for understanding co-occurring use disorders. To assess how gambling and substance misuse interact and to determine the prevalence of both conditions, all survey instruments aligned with substance use prevention should include questions that address the prevention of co-occurring disorders. 

With clearer, more consistent data, the field can better guide public health responses and better support individuals at risk.