BOSTON (SHNS) - When he was 17 years old, David Nangle found himself $800 in debt to a bookie. Reflecting on the situation as a 64-year-old, the former representative wishes he had not managed to get out of that jam. "Well, didn't smarten me up. I was able to bail out of it, as we say, and I got through that. But I just wish I could go back in time to that time and have changed my life at that point, but I didn't," he said Wednesday. "I just couldn't stop and addiction literally cost me everything. It cost my marriage, my career and my reputation." The Lowell Democrat was indicted by federal prosecutors and arrested in February 2020, charged with illegally using campaign funds to fund a lifestyle that included golf club memberships and casino trips to Connecticut, and lying to banks about his debt to obtain mortgages and other loans. Nangle lost his reelection bid in a September 2020 primary. He pleaded guilty to charges against him and in September 2021 was sentenced to 15 months in prison. He was released from federal prison in November 2022. Nangle was back at to the State House on Wednesday to speak at a briefing on problem gambling and ways the state can attempt to identify and offer assistance to people affected. He said he hid his gambling addiction from everyone at work and at home, but it ultimately cost him his 22-year career in the House. Nangle said he vowed in federal court to dedicate some of his time going forward to helping people, especially young people, "not to go down the life suffering that I endured for so many years." Today, he said he works full-time at the Bridge Club of Greater Lowell, which works with people dealing with addiction, and serves as a part-time peer specialist for the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health. "I thank God that online gambling wasn't around when I was betting with the bookies in the city of Lowell and running up to Rockingham Racetrack and Suffolk Downs. I don't know what would have become of me had that been around at that time," Nangle said. "However, today is a whole different era. As I say, 38 states now allow individuals, via their cellphones, to place bets. And who do you think is placing all these bets on these cellphones? The old dinosaurs like me? No. There are some. But I'm telling you, it's the kids. It's the youth." Massachusetts requires that people be at least 21 years old to bet on sports and sports betting companies are supposed to have mechanisms in place to know who is betting and to identify when someone may be exhibiting signs of dangerous behavior. Among monthly gamblers who participated in online surveys conducted in 2014, 2022 and 2023, the percentage experiencing gambling problems jumped from 12.7% in 2014 to 20.9% in 2022 and to 25.6% in 2023, the Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts (SEIGMA) research team reported to the Gaming Commission last year. The Massachusetts Legislature and former Gov. Charlie Baker, now president of the NCAA, legalized sports betting in August 2022 and it went live in early 2023. Researchers stressed that the online panels of monthly gamblers were not representative of the general state population, which has held steady at a 2% prevalence of problem gambling in surveys conducted before and after casinos were introduced in Massachusetts. The SEIGMA team also said its research found that 8.4% of the Massachusetts general population was at risk of developing a gambling problem. Nangle said the people who show up for the Gamblers Anonymous meetings he attends have been trending younger, including some teenagers who are brought to the meetings by their parents. He said he sees the boom of legal gambling and its particular appeal to young people as "a health crisis coming down the road." "Think of it this way: imagine if we lowered the drinking age to 14. Can you imagine the outrage that would take place if the consumption of alcohol was allowed at the age of 14? Now, I'm not saying gambling is allowed at the age of 14, but folks, the kids are doing it. They're doing it, unfortunately," he said. "And I bet everybody in this room -- I hate to use the word bet -- I am sure that, I predict, that everybody in this room has somebody, or they're going to know somebody that's addicted to gambling -- not just like myself, but the younger ones." Nangle added, "It's coming, and it's unfortunate. I'm really concerned where we are heading." The lawmakers who hosted Wednesday's briefing, Sen. John Keenan of Quincy and Reps. Carole Fiola of Fall River and Adam Scanlon of North Attleborough, are similarly concerned about the social impacts of the activity they voted in favor of legalizing almost three years ago. Each highlighted legislation they have or plan to file this session to address problem gambling. Keenan pitched his "Bettor Health Act" (S 302), which would increase the tax rate on online betting platforms, ban sports betting advertising during game broadcasts, require online sports betting companies to double their financial contributions to the state's Public Health Trust Fund, and more. He likened the rise of online betting to the emergence of the opioid crisis. "If we don't see the similarities, we're going to find ourselves again so far behind trying so hard to create an infrastructure to address it," he said about the need to start addressing the problem before it gets out of hand. Fiola, who this session chairs the Economic Development and Emerging Technologies Committee, spoke about a bill she filed (H 2416) that aims to study the current resources available to people with gambling problems and identify ways to improve coordination and promotion of those programs. "We know that there are several organizations and facilitators working very hard in this space to increase access to these treatment areas, problem gambling treatment, and it's imperative that these organizations work together to provide the best services for those in need," she said. "This legislation also wants to expand physician screening coverage for annual physicals to create another touch point for individuals to reach out. I'm proposing adding a screening question for problem gambling, the same way physicians already asked about alcohol consumption and drug use at a physical." Scanlon said he plans to soon file a bill to address problem gambling. "Like most of you, I do not oppose all gambling," he said at Wednesday's briefing. "But like many of you, I do want to make sure that all of these benefits we see do not come at the expense of those who are most vulnerable to addiction." ...read more read less