"Harvard Medical School, the University of South Florida and the American Psychiatric Association have all conducted studies showing that the earlier one begins gambling, the more likely it is he or she will become an addicted problem gambler"
About this Quote
The specific intent is paternalistic and strategic: shift gambling from a question of personal choice or consumer entertainment into a matter of addiction risk, especially for the young. “Earlier one begins” turns time into a ticking mechanism, implying that every new betting app, every campus-adjacent casino, every frictionless digital wager is not neutral access but accelerated exposure. It’s a subtle indictment of an industry that thrives on early habituation.
The subtext is a fight over regulation framed as protection. If gambling is addiction-adjacent, then restrictions start to look less like government interference and more like seatbelts. Notice the careful universality of “he or she,” a nod to broad victimhood, and “problem gambler,” a clinical label that makes the outcome sound diagnosable, not merely irresponsible.
Contextually, this is a classic move in American policymaking: when an issue sits at the messy intersection of vice, revenue, and freedom, politicians reach for medicalized language to make coercion feel like care. Bachus is signaling, to voters and colleagues alike, that the state’s interest isn’t in controlling pleasure; it’s in preventing pathology.
Quote Details
| Topic | Mental Health |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Bachus, Spencer. (2026, February 16). Harvard Medical School, the University of South Florida and the American Psychiatric Association have all conducted studies showing that the earlier one begins gambling, the more likely it is he or she will become an addicted problem gambler. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/harvard-medical-school-the-university-of-south-152296/
Chicago Style
Bachus, Spencer. "Harvard Medical School, the University of South Florida and the American Psychiatric Association have all conducted studies showing that the earlier one begins gambling, the more likely it is he or she will become an addicted problem gambler." FixQuotes. February 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/harvard-medical-school-the-university-of-south-152296/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Harvard Medical School, the University of South Florida and the American Psychiatric Association have all conducted studies showing that the earlier one begins gambling, the more likely it is he or she will become an addicted problem gambler." FixQuotes, 16 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/harvard-medical-school-the-university-of-south-152296/. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
