Key Highlights
- The Center for Addiction Science, Policy, and Research introduced “Life Savings” on March 4, featuring legislative templates, comprehensive state evaluations, and economic impact analyses
- Co-founder Nicholas Reville contends that gambling operators support only reactive measures such as helplines, while opposing preventative regulatory reforms
- Proposed legislative framework includes mandatory operator intervention requirements, credit card payment prohibitions, increased minimum age to 25, and automatic suspension protocols
- Early observations indicate GLP-1 medications (such as Ozempic) might decrease gambling urges, although structured clinical studies for gambling addiction remain in preliminary stages
- Reville claims platforms like Kalshi exploit regulatory gaps to provide sports wagering while circumventing state gaming oversight, prompting 36 state attorneys general to form an advocacy coalition
The Center for Addiction Science, Policy, and Research—commonly referred to as CASPR—unveiled its Life Savings program on March 4, marking a comprehensive effort to address the growing crisis of online gambling dependency throughout America.
In an interview with Gambling Insider, CASPR co-founder Nicholas Reville characterized current gambling policy as fundamentally flawed. He contends that the gaming industry exclusively endorses interventions that activate only after addiction has already taken root.
“Nobody reaches out to a gambling helpline until they’ve already suffered devastating financial losses,” Reville explained. “Nobody seeks treatment for gambling problems before they’ve decimated their credit rating and depleted their entire savings.”
The Life Savings program encompasses three primary components: template legislation for state lawmakers, comprehensive consumer protection evaluations for all 50 states, and detailed calculations showing how much capital online gambling platforms extract from state economies.
The organization’s legislative proposals include establishing a legal obligation for gambling platforms to take action when users display addictive behaviors. Additional recommendations encompass prohibiting credit card transactions for gambling purposes, increasing the minimum gambling age to 25, and implementing mandatory cooling-off periods when losses exceed predetermined thresholds.
Reville drew parallels to current regulations governing alcohol service. “When someone is visibly intoxicated at a bar, serving them additional alcohol becomes a legal violation,” he noted. “Identical standards should apply to online gambling platforms.”
He emphasized that these regulatory measures would particularly benefit younger male users, whom he identified as especially vulnerable to financial ruin through gambling applications.
Organization Questions Industry Claims Made to State Legislators
Reville asserted that online gambling corporations have provided misleading information to state legislative bodies. According to him, operators promised lawmakers that legalization would diminish illegal gambling operations. However, he maintains that total gambling participation has increased in every jurisdiction following legalization.
He further disputed the industry narrative that tax revenues from online gambling represent “free money” for state budgets. Reville contends that funds directed toward gambling applications would otherwise circulate through local restaurants, service providers, and other community businesses.
“Online gambling functions as nothing more than an extraction mechanism,” he stated. “It removes capital from your population without creating substantial employment opportunities.”
CASPR’s comprehensive state-by-state evaluation system assesses the effectiveness of each jurisdiction’s consumer protection frameworks against gambling-related harm. The assessment methodology focuses exclusively on regulated, legal platforms rather than offshore or unlicensed operations.
Reville noted that illegal gambling markets have expanded concurrently with legalization efforts. He dismissed the industry’s assertion that regulation would diminish illegal gambling as a “misleading premise.”
Weight Loss Medications and Regulatory Gaps Emerge as Priority Issues
CASPR has expanded its research portfolio to include GLP-1 medications, the pharmaceutical category that encompasses drugs like Ozempic. The organization provides financial support for the only two pilot initiatives worldwide administering GLP-1 medications off-label to individuals receiving addiction treatment services.
Reville acknowledged that rigorous scientific evidence regarding GLP-1 effectiveness for gambling addiction remains absent. Nevertheless, he characterized the preliminary informal reports as noteworthy.
“Individuals consistently describe experiencing significant reductions in their gambling urges, with some reporting complete cessation of cravings,” he observed.
Regarding prediction markets, Reville criticized Kalshi specifically, stating the platform markets itself as an investment service while predominantly facilitating sports betting. He noted the company’s integration with Robinhood and its exploitation of federal classification to circumvent state gambling regulations.
A coalition comprising 36 state attorneys general has formed to address this regulatory gap. Several legislative proposals have been submitted to Congress targeting this specific issue.
Reville argued that all states have compelling interests in taking action. Jurisdictions permitting legal gambling seek to collect appropriate tax revenues from Kalshi. States prohibiting gambling aim to enforce their existing regulatory frameworks.
CASPR’s legislative template incorporates language designed to eliminate what the organization terms the “investment contract sports gambling loophole.” As of late March 2026, federal legislative action addressing this matter remains unresolved.
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