River’s Bend warns online betting is fueling hidden gambling harm in Michigan and urges earlier screening, integrated care, and provider awareness.

(PRUnderground) April 8th, 2026

River’s Bend is drawing attention to the rising clinical impact of gambling disorder in Michigan as online betting continues to expand statewide, creating new challenges for behavioral health providers, families, and communities.

Since regulated online gaming and sports betting launched in Michigan on January 22, 2021, gambling has become more accessible, more private, and more embedded in everyday life. What was once limited to casinos or occasional events is now available 24/7 through mobile devices, often making gambling-related harm harder to identify until it appears through other symptoms.

“Gambling disorder is not always the first thing clients talk about,” said Bruce Goldberg, President and Co-Owner of River’s Bend. “More often, providers are seeing anxiety, insomnia, depression, family conflict, financial strain, or increased relapse risk — and gambling may be the hidden driver underneath it all. That is why routine screening matters now more than ever.”

Michigan’s gaming market reflects the scale of this shift. In 2024, the Michigan Gaming Control Board reported $2.4 billion in combined iGaming and internet sports betting adjusted gross receipts and $2.9 billion in total gross receipts for iGaming and sports betting. In 2025, the state reported $3.3 billion in combined iGaming and internet sports betting adjusted gross receipts. While these figures do not measure clinical harm directly, they underscore the rapid normalization and broad exposure providers are now working within.

River’s Bend notes that gambling disorder often presents indirectly in treatment settings. Common signs may include panic symptoms, irritability, depressive episodes following losses, emotional numbing, relationship conflict, secrecy, unexplained debt, work impairment, and, in more acute cases, suicidality associated with escalating financial and interpersonal consequences.

The organization is also urging increased vigilance for college-age clients and young adults, particularly as sports wagering becomes more culturally pervasive. Warning signs in this population may include skipping class to gamble, borrowing or stealing money, hiding betting behavior, and gambling tied to loneliness, impulsivity, or depression.

“Because online gambling can look like ordinary phone use, it is easier to miss than substance use,” Goldberg said. “There are no obvious intoxication cues, and many clients disclose stress, debt, or conflict long before they identify gambling itself as the problem.”

River’s Bend recommends that providers make gambling screening a routine part of behavioral health assessment, particularly when clients present with financial strain, sleep disturbance, mood instability, impulsivity, co-occurring substance use, or relationship disruption. A stigma-reducing approach can help improve disclosure, including normalizing screening with language such as: Because gambling is so accessible now, we ask everyone a few quick questions about betting or gaming to make sure it is not affecting stress, sleep, or finances.

Treatment for gambling disorder often benefits from an integrated approach that includes motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral strategies, relapse prevention planning, money safety supports, family involvement when appropriate, and care for co-occurring mental health or substance use conditions.

River’s Bend provides structured outpatient treatment options that may support individuals experiencing gambling disorder, especially when symptoms are escalating or co-occurring conditions are present. Services include:

• Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for individuals who need structured treatment while maintaining work, school, or family responsibilities
• Group therapy to build skills, reduce shame and isolation, and strengthen accountability
• Individual therapy to address underlying drivers such as anxiety, depression, trauma, or grief
• Dual diagnosis care for clients experiencing gambling-related harm alongside mental health and/or substance use disorders

The organization is encouraging referral partners and providers across Michigan to consider gambling disorder more actively in assessment and care planning, especially as public awareness, advertising exposure, and access continue to evolve.

About River’s Bend P.C.

Founded in 1995, River’s Bend is a nationally accredited outpatient behavioral health clinic specializing in evidence-based treatment for mental health and substance use disorders. With a deep commitment to compassionate care and community support, River’s Bend provides personalized treatment programs including IOP, PHP, and specialty services for adolescents and families.

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Together, we can strengthen the behavioral health workforce and support those who support everyone else.

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Original Press Release.