She shines the light – and leads the way – on the national challenge of gambling addiction

By VCU Health News staff

For years, Carolyn Hawley has dedicated herself to addressing a crisis hidden in plain sight: gambling addiction.

One of the nation's leading researchers on the issue, Hawley, Ph.D., is a professor in Virginia Commonwealth University's College of Health Professions and director of the Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health. Her specialty is what experts often call a "hidden addiction": Unlike substance abuse, the warning signs of gambling addiction can remain invisible until someone reaches financial, emotional or legal collapse.

For millions of Americans, gambling no longer requires a trip to Las Vegas or a casino floor. It lives in their pockets - on smartphones, via sports betting apps, video games and social feeds. And according to Hawley, the country legalized this new era far faster than it built protections around it.

"We made gambling available 24 hours a day and then act surprised when people become addicted," she said.

Despite the rapid growth of legalized gambling, federal funding for gambling addiction treatment and research remains remarkably scarce. Unlike with substance use disorders, the country still lacks even a basic national framework for prevention, treatment and recovery. Which has inspired Hawley to help build one at the state level.

Working through VCU and alongside state leaders, clinicians and recovery specialists, she helped create Virginia's coordinated gambling treatment network: The Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health is one of the only university-led systems of its kind in the nation.

Through the network, Hawley and her team oversee the state's gambling helpline, train mental health providers across Virginia and connect people to counseling and recovery support regardless of their ability to pay.

The impact has been undeniable. Today, 93% of Virginians who contact the gambling helpline are connected with treatment providers within one week - a turnaround time virtually unheard of in mental health care.

That speed matters. Research shows that gambling addiction carries one of the highest suicide attempt rates among addictive disorders.

The video below shares the story of an uncommon hero who is creating a lifeline for countless people grappling with gambling addiction - and establishing a framework that has allowed Virginia to emerge as a national model for gambling health infrastructure.

"Every data point represents a person," Hawley said. "That's what keeps me grounded."