Home >Military Life > Can Military Personnel Gamble?
Installation of Slot Machines on U.S. Naval Base, Guantanamo Bay Section 5 of the Anti-Slot Machine Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1175, prohibits the installation or operation of slot machines on any land where the United States government exercises exclusive or concurrent jurisdiction, including military bases outside the United States.
Life in the military can be a physical and psychological rollercoaster. Soldiers are forced to mix experience of harsh and rigorous training with long hours of boredom. Often soldiers, especially recruits, lack recreational activities during those hours of standby. That's where gambling sometimes comes in. In fact the armed forces and gambling have long-standing relations with each other. Historically gambling was among most popular activities that soldiers used to do to relax. It was not only a fun recreation but a social activity too. Furthermore betting and gambling was seen as a crucial part of keeping high morale amongst the troops during tough times of combat activities. Also most of the military personnel are personalities who have a desire for risk and adventure. Some countries ban gambling by law, while in other countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, gambling is easily accessible for soldiers. In some cases slot machines and betting terminals are found in army barracks and overseas bases. Slot machines have been present within US military bases since the 1930s. Even though they were removed from the US Army and Air Force bases during the 1970s, but remained in US Navy bases. Anyway the slot machines were re-introduced to the US Army and Air Force bases in the 1980s. Mobile gambling and bookmaking services are even more accessible to bored soldiers than slot machines. On various online casino sites soldiers can easily play slots and roulette games. Furthermore gambling in the military isn't limited to slot machines or online casinos. Old-school card games are also there. Gambling can become a problem for those in the military and retired veterans due to its negative effects. There have been suggestions that gambling should be banned within the military. The main argument is the gambling addiction. Soldiers can become reliant on it. In fact there are thousands active duty soldiers with gambling problems. In the United States alone it is estimated that between 36 000 and 48 000 military personnel suffer from a gambling disorder. These numbers do not include retired veterans, that are often dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder are more vulnerable to get addicted to gambling. Some individuals struggle to coupe with civilian life after their military service. Gambling becomes that kick of adrenaline that they lack. Despite all the negative effects of the gambling, many companies currently benefit from it. In the USA gambling by military personnel creates up to $150 million in revenue each year. Army bingo alone accounts for $45 million of revenue each year. So the argument for allowing gambling on military bases is that it generates large amounts of revenue. Negative consequences of gambling are being left unaddressed and are certainly seen as a price worth paying. There are some organizations that help to address gambling addiction for those who currently serve, or who previously served in the military. In the UK the Royal British Legion also helps to veterans who wish to deal with their gambling addiction. |
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Heather Hemming works two slot machines at once, her tapping fingers spinning the wheels of fortune at Yokosuka Naval Base’s Seaside Restaurant.
If she “hits,” a heavy rain of quarters will fall. Good news, but it can interrupt a good gambling groove, she said.
Slot Machine Base Stand Used
“With coin machines, you have to stand and wait for all of the quarters to finish falling. Then you have to carry them over to a cashier and wait for them to be counted,” Hemming said. “Coinless machines are much less waiting and less work.”
Coinless machines — popular in stateside gambling meccas such as Atlantic City, N.J., and Las Vegas — track wins and losses on magnetic cards cashed out by a cashier or an automated teller machine. You pay money for a card, like depositing money to fund a debit card, and it quits when you run into the red. Casino cards let you choose the denomination — whatever machine you’re on — and in some cases, pick the game you want to play.
Now several casinos on overseas U.S. Navy bases are going “coinless,” say Morale, Welfare and Recreation officials, in hopes of fattening MWR budgets. Naval Air Facility Atsugi went “coinless” last week as a test; MWR there spent some $280,000 on 28 new slots that let players bet pennies, nickels or quarters on whichever machine they choose.
“We’re going to put our machines on par with Atlantic City, Reno and Las Vegas,” said Steve Motchnik, Atsugi MWR director.
The new slots likely will pay cost-cutting dividends. “The machines won’t ever be ‘down’ after a payout because they’ll never need refilling,” Motchnik said. “They’re always ready to go.”
Who Owns The Slot Machine On Military Bases Made
It’s a “win-win situation,” he said, because the $1 million to $1.2 million in annual profits the Atsugi machines generate help fund on-base MWR programs. Unlike other services, which send portions of winnings to MWR stateside, the Navy recycles all gambling revenues into individual overseas bases for programs and new construction, he said.
Yokosuka Naval Base, which makes about $10 million in gambling revenue, will open a newly renovated coinless casino in the Seaside Restaurant this summer.
But Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, is getting out of the gambling business by subcontracting the casinos to the Army and splitting the profits. The Army runs the slots for both the Marine Corps and Naval Forces Korea.
Both methods are being tried, said Chief Petty Officer Maria Yager, Commander Naval Forces Japan spokeswoman: “We’re looking at cost-effectiveness. Commander Naval Installation Japan will look at the data a year from now and compare,” she said.
Neither Yager nor Motchnik expressed worry the new slots would encourage problem gambling. “Hopefully, people are doing it for enjoyment — like a video game,” Motchnik said. “They’re not planning to buy summer homes with the winnings.”
Yager referred to a 2001 congressional report, “The Effect of the Ready Availability of Slot Machines on Members of the Armed Forces, Their Dependents and Others.” The report outlined how slot machines in MWR facilities overseas have no negative effect on the morale or financial stability of U.S. forces, their family members or civilian employees.
“It’s like this,” Yager said. “We don’t want people to drink and drive, but we still sell alcohol at the commissary.”
Who Owns The Slot Machine On Military Bases Named
Base chaplains and Fleet and Family Services provide support for those with problems, she added.
Dependent Gwen Sheppard sees little difference in the new coinless slots. She first tried them Tuesday in Atsugi.
Used Slot Bases
Said Sheppard: “They all take money.”