Public Health On Call

1007 - Public Health and Gambling Part 2: Problem Gambling

2026-02-05

About this episode: Between scratch tickets, casinos, and the recent explosion of sports betting apps, opportunities to gamble abound. So too do opportunities for the development of a gambling disorder—a medical condition as serious as substance use disorders. In this episode: Will Hinman and Christopher Welsh from the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling explain how to recognize gambling disorders and where to seek help. Guests: Will Hinman is a certified peer recovery specialist at the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling. Dr. Christopher Welsh is an addiction psychiatrist and a professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He is also the medical director of the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling. ...

About this episode:

Between scratch tickets, casinos, and the recent explosion of sports betting apps, opportunities to gamble abound. So too do opportunities for the development of a gambling disorder—a medical condition as serious as substance use disorders. In this episode: Will Hinman and Christopher Welsh from the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling explain how to recognize gambling disorders and where to seek help.

Guests:

Will Hinman is a certified peer recovery specialist at the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling.

Dr. Christopher Welsh is an addiction psychiatrist and a professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He is also the medical director of the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling.

Host:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.

Show links and related content:

As Online Betting Surges, So Does Risk of Addiction—Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine
New Survey Shows Rising Rates of Disordered Gambling Among Marylanders Since Legalization of Online Sports Betting—University of Maryland School of Medicine
Warning Signs—Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling
Voluntary Exclusion Program—Maryland Alliance for Responsible Gaming
Public Health and Gambling Part 1: How Gambling Became So Ubiquitous, and the Potential for Problems—Public Health On Call (February 2026)

Transcript information:

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