NCPG Celebrates Historic Opening of Federal Research Funding for Gambling Addiction
The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) welcomed a significant development in federal public health policy: For the first time, federal government research funding will be available to support the study of gambling addiction through the Department of Defense’s Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP), as included in the final bipartisan House–Senate compromise funding package for fiscal year 2026.
The accompanying Senate report language affirms that gambling addiction is a sanctioned research topic under PRMRP. While limited to military and veteran populations, this marks the first time Congress has made a federal medical research program available to support peer-reviewed research on gambling addiction, signaling a shift toward treating the issue as a recognized public health concern.
