Gambling addiction is on the upswing, according to public health experts, as gambling opportunities are becoming more widespread than ever.
Gambling is now readily accessible to almost all US adults because of the emergence of sweepstakes casinos, prediction markets, and sports betting.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there is a gambling problem in the nation. According to the Public Health Advocacy Institute, the nation is "in the early phases of a mental health and gambling addiction epidemic."

Many people are wondering whether GLP-1 medications, type 2 diabetes medications that have evolved into obesity treatments that alter lifestyle, may also be helpful to gambling addicts due to the widespread worries about problem gambling.

"Weight-loss medications like GLP-1s don’t just affect hunger and metabolic dysfunction — they influence how the brain processes reward,” said Dr. Ivania Rizo, an assistant professor of medicine at Boston University who is also the director of obesity medicine at Boston Medical Center.

“These drugs act on areas in the brain, like the mesolimbic system, which is involved in feelings of pleasure and motivation,” Rizo said. “This system plays a role in cravings for food, but also for other rewarding behaviors like drinking alcohol, gambling, or even shopping.

“When these medications reduce food cravings, they might also dull the drive for other types of dependence-related behaviors. The medication turns down the ‘reward’ signals in the brain, not just for food, but for other temptations, too,” he added.

Additional research is necessary.

Although GLP-1 agonists are proving to be effective in treating gambling addiction, researchers believe that further information is required before a problem gambling weight reduction medicine may be recommended.

“At this time, we only have anecdotal evidence. Multiple, randomized controlled trials have been initiated to determine whether GLP-1 medicines have a therapeutic impact on these disorders,” Rizo explained.

In New York, Dr. Keith Roach, an internal medicine practitioner at Weill Cornell, produces a syndicated "Dear Doctor" newspaper advice column each week. Roach concurs that it is still too soon to determine whether a GLP-1 is effective in treating a gaming problem.

"The evidence for GLP-1 agonists helping with alcohol use disorder is now quite strong, with studies showing significant reductions in alcohol-related hospitalizations and a reduction in problem drinking. The evidence for gambling disorders is preliminary based on the understanding of how these drugs work in the brain,” Roach wrote.

“There are no strong clinical data at this time supporting the use of GLP-1 agonists for a gambling disorder,” Road said. 

A miraculous medicine?

Type 2 diabetes was treated with GLP-1s. It was found that the medications were inhibiting appetites and causing significant weight loss, which was a nice side effect.

The surprising advantages didn't stop there.

GLP-1s have been shown to help with kidney, liver, and cardiovascular health, systemic inflammation, and neurological problems.