Integrating Gambling Support into Opioid Treatment in Nevada
Problem Gambling Awareness Month is a time to spotlight an issue that often goes unseen, especially among people already navigating other serious health challenges. In Nevada, state leaders are confronting a critical reality: many individuals receiving care in Nevada’s Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs) are also struggling with gambling.
Research has shown that as many as 46% of OTP patients may meet criteria for a past-year gambling disorder. Yet historically, gambling has rarely been addressed within opioid treatment settings. When left unrecognized, gambling-related harm can increase financial stress, destabilize recovery, and undermine treatment progress.
To close this gap, the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health launched the Gambling Resources and Support Program (GRASP) through State Opioid Response funding. GRASP integrates gambling screening, education, and intervention directly into opioid treatment care. The initiative is supported by a statewide partnership that includes Problem Gambling Solutions, Inc., the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, Evive Digital Health, and the UNLV International Gaming Institute.
In its first year, six of Nevada’s fourteen OTPs began implementing GRASP. More than 40 clinicians were trained to confidently address gambling in treatment, and hundreds of patients were screened. The results confirmed the need: over one quarter of those screened met criteria for problem gambling, with additional patients identified as moderate or low risk.
A key component of the program is the Evive digital platform, which provides app-based lessons, coping tools, and recovery supports tailored to Nevada residents. Combined with in- person clinical care, it reinforces recovery skills and helps patients understand how gambling can impact their opioid treatment.
As GRASP prepares to expand statewide, Nevada is demonstrating what meaningful action looks like during Problem Gambling Awareness Month. By integrating gambling support into opioid treatment, the state is advancing a whole-person approach to recovery, one that recognizes that lasting recovery requires addressing all behaviors that can threaten stability and well-being.
By embedding gambling support directly into opioid treatment programs, Nevada is building a model of integrated care that other states can learn from. Recovery works best when we treat the whole person. Through GRASP, Nevada is doing just that.
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