PENSACOLA, Fla. — The Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling saw a more than 50 percent increase in calls for help last year.

Some experts across the country say because of the accessibility of online gambling, it should be seen as a public health issue.

Dr. Rob Rotunda, a psychology professor at the University of West Florida, previously conducted statewide research on gambling and gambling problems in 2012.

He says gambling has changed overtime.

“I think there’s more access nowadays, given the online environment,” he said.

You used to have to drive to the casino to place a bet. Now, the casino comes to you through apps like “FanDuel”, “DraftKings”, and “PrizePicks.”

Even “Hard Rock Bet” — with ads featuring Post Malone, among others — shows the average consumer how apparently easy it is to win big money from your phone.

“It’s so much more convenient now,” said Amanda Fayard, clinical supervisor of Road to Recovery at Lakeview. “With just the click of a button on your phone or even on your computer. And most people do it very effortlessly.”

According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, about 2.5 million Americans have severe gambling problems. Another 5 to 8 million US adults have mild or moderate gambling problems.

Fayard says the addiction can cause various negative effects on mental health, including depression and anxiety. But it can go even beyond that.

“People will often spend way too much money in this habit,” she said.

“Bankruptcy, family problems, divorce, separation can all occur when people get to the point that their life revolves around gambling,” Dr. Rotunda said.

Lancet Public Health Journal published an editorial in 2024, calling on governments and policy makers to treat gambling as a public health issue.

Lancet’s research from 2024 says some groups face an elevated risk of gambling harms — including children and young people — because they are “routinely exposed to gambling product advertising, and industry messaging, and sponsorship, in ways that were unprecedented before the digital revolution.”

Research from the American Psychological Association in 2023 says people in their early 20s are the fastest growing group of gamblers.

Fayard saying gambling addicts are usually chasing the “high” of winning.

“When children do it, it becomes ingrained in their brain a lot easier and it creates those pathways in their brain to cause them to want to seek that feeling and get that dopamine hit,” Fayard said. “So overtime it may lead them to become addicted to other things in life, not just gambling.”

Dr. Rotunda says online gambling is not at the public health crisis stage. However, he does believe it’s something to keep an eye on.

“We should be actively researching it in the state of Florida and have services available for when certain people need it,” he said.

If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-gambler, which is the national problem gambling hotline. Or call 888-admit-it for the Florida-based help line.