Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday signed a bill to increase awareness of the role of problem gambling in youth suicide.
Moore signed Senate Bill 310, which was introduced in January by Senator Bryan Simonaire, a Republican. The legislation cleared the Senate with a 42-0 vote and later the House 140-0.
This bill expands the educational programs authorized under the Maryland Youth Suicide Prevention School Program to include classroom instruction designed to increase student awareness of the relationship between gambling and suicide.
The bill “expands the findings and declarations” of the General Assembly to include that “youth suicide often exists in combination with other problems, including gambling addiction.”
The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.
For Sen. Simonaire, the legislation had a personal connection. According to the Maryland Reporter, Simonaire experienced gambling addiction in his family.
Motivation for Gambling & Youth Suicide Legislation
There’s a growing body of research showing the urgent need to educate youth about the link between suicide and gambling addiction.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health found in 2024 that rates of preteen suicide (ages 8–12) have been increasing by approximately 8% annually since 2008.
Meanwhile, research out of the University of Glasgow in 2023 has shown that gambling is linked to a heightened risk of suicide attempts among young adults (ages 16–24) who experienced an increase in severity of gambling problems. This group was nearly three times more likely to attempt suicide than those whose gambling was unchanged.
Local research has found an alarming increase in Maryland problem gambling.
The most recent Maryland Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed that youth gambling is increasing, with 17.5% of high school students gambling in the last year compared to two years ago when 15.3% reported gambling.
“The Maryland Youth Suicide Prevention School Program must continue to adapt to the growing challenges facing youth suicide, especially with the increased creation of conventional and online gambling,” the new law stated.
About half of all disordered gamblers in the U.S. have reported suicidal ideations, according to statistics from the American Psychiatric Association.
Nearly one in five have attempted suicide.
Growing Awareness of Maryland Gambling Harm
It appears policymakers and the public are growing concerned about problem gambling in Maryland. For years, the state has trailed others in this addiction awareness.
“Unlike neighbors West Virginia and Virginia, or a handful of other states such as North Carolina and Oregon, Maryland has no statewide education policy built to combat the rising popularity of online gambling among teenagers, nor mitigate its effects on the state’s youths,” reported the Maryland Reporter.
Sen. Simonaire’s legislation was reportedly a years-long legislative process.
In April, the City of Baltimore filed a lawsuit against DraftKings and FanDuel, alleging predatory business practices and addiction harm.
Lawmakers in Maryland are also considering a bill to repeal the state’s online sports betting law.
Opponents of more state-sanctioned online gambling have opposed efforts in Maryland to legalize online casino gambling like slots and roulette.
Image by Martin Falbisoner/Wikipedia
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