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- Caron Treatment Centers has formalized a dedicated gambling disorder track after rising referrals, especially from younger adults and first responders.
- This expansion signals growing recognition of gambling harm and practical screening steps that could affect players nationwide.
Pennsylvania-based Caron Treatment Centers launched a formal gambling disorder track on Feb. 13 after increasing demand pushed an informal effort into a structured program.
Eric Webber, director of Caron’s gambling addiction program – who began training in 2013 and served as the organization’s go-to referral resource – brought the surge in cases to leadership. Caron implemented routine screening tools – including the South Oaks Gambling screen and a two-question “live bet” check (Have you ever lied about your gambling? Have you ever bet more than you wanted?) – that take only seconds to administer.
The track now runs two groups weekly and emphasizes early identification during intake. Webber warned that monitoring relapse is uniquely difficult for gambling because it’s cognitive and behavioral, not ingestive, and that technology access in treatment settings complicates oversight.
Routine screening could flag problems early
The new program centers on brief, evidence-based screening during intake and weekly group treatment, aiming to make identification and referral easier for health care providers. For US bettors, that means broader access to specialized care even as treatment teams wrestle with unique relapse-monitoring challenges.
Expanded treatment tracks mean improved pathways to care, particularly for younger adults, college students, and first responders who now appear more frequently in treatment settings.
Routine screening at health care touchpoints could catch problematic gambling earlier, reducing long-term financial harm and downstream social consequences.
Operators and regulated markets should note this shift: as treatment demand grows, so will expectations around responsible gambling, self-exclusion awareness, and partnerships with treatment providers. Practically, clinics must budget for staff training, group programming, and safer-technology policies in patient units.
Based on reporting by Ella Ruder for Becker’s Behavioral Health.
