Measurable Results in Gambling Addiction Treatment
Findings below demonstrate that Birches Health, a teletherapy platform built specifically to treat gambling and behavioral addiction, has delivered meaningful improvement for a complex and historically underserved patient population, including individuals entering care with co-occurring mental health needs or suicidal thoughts.
Gambling Disorder Treatment
Clinical outcomes in gambling disorder treatment. Tracked 1,305 adults over their first 12 weeks of care.
McAlister et al., 2026, JMIR Mental Health5
8.3
Average gambling symptom severity dropped 8.3 points on the G-SAS
72%
72% of patients reached a clinically meaningful improvement, in a median of 14 days.
56%
56% entered care with a co-occurring psychiatric diagnosis, most commonly anxiety or depression, and improved at comparable rates to those without one.
Suicidal Ideation at Treatment Entry
Suicidal ideation at treatment entry. Examined whether patients who reported suicidal thoughts at intake engage with and respond to treatment differently.
Knight et al., 2026, manuscript in peer review6.
Comparable improvement
Patients reporting suicidal thoughts at intake demonstrated improvements comparable to those who did not report suicidal thoughts.
Similar retention
Treatment retention and session attendance were also similar between these two groups
Complexity was common
Clinical complexity was common in this sample, not the exception. It did not stand in the way of getting better.
Findings are from ongoing analyses of real-world Birches Health patient outcomes under its prior care model, led by Birches’ science partner, Fit Minded.
Evidence into action
Birches’ current evidence comes from its earlier care model and gives a solid baseline for measuring how the updated version performs as new data comes in. It’s also the first in a growing set of peer-reviewed studies on Birches’ care, with a second study currently under review and national media coverage underway.
For payers and health systems, this is published, peer-reviewed proof that specialized virtual care produces rapid, clinically meaningful results, even for patients with co-occurring conditions or suicidal ideation. That kind of data supports coverage decisions, benefit design, and confident referrals, and positions Birches as the clinical leader in gambling and behavioral addiction care.
The only national, insurance-covered teletherapy platform built specifically for gambling and behavioral addiction
Scope of the problem
PA adults gambling online1
Total sports wagers in the U.S. grew from $4.9 billion in 2017 to $121.1 billion in 2023, with 94% now placed online. Nearly 20 million U.S. adults report problematic gambling behavior, and an estimated 2.5 million meet criteria for a gambling disorder diagnosis. Despite this scale, only 20% of affected individuals have ever sought professional treatment.
As legalized sports betting and 24/7 mobile access have made gambling harder to avoid and easier to hide, the need for accessible, specialized treatment is becoming more urgent.
A model built for this condition
Specialized
Clinicians trained for this condition
Birches Health’s clinical model is a phased model delivered by clinicians trained specifically in gambling and behavioral addiction.
Measured
Validated, symptom-specific measures
Adaptive
Care that adjusts as scores shift
When scores shift, clinicians adjust session frequency, treatment focus, or care goals accordingly, not just the session note.
Birches Health
Payers, health systems, providers & press
For payers, health systems, providers, and press: if you would like more information contact: andrew@bircheshealth.com
Sources
- Sterner, G. E., Russell, G. E. H., & Ferrara, A. M. (2025). 2025 Pennsylvania Interactive Gaming Assessment: Online Gambling Report. Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.
- Kim, S.W., Grant, J.E., Potenza, M.N., Blanco, C., & Hollander, E. (2009). The Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale (G-SAS): A reliability and validity study. Psychiatry Research, 166(1), 76–84.
- Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R.L., & Williams, J.B.W. (2001). The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16(9), 606–613.
- Spitzer, R.L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J.B.W., & Löwe, B. (2006). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: The GAD-7. Archives of Internal Medicine, 166(10), 1092–1097.
- McAlister, K.L., Knight, E., Grant, C., & Huberty, J.L. (2026). Clinical Outcomes and Predictors of Improvement With Virtual Behavioral Health Care for Gambling Disorder: Retrospective Cohort Study. JMIR Mental Health, 13, e101517. doi: 10.2196/101517
- Knight, E., McAlister, K., Grant, C., & Huberty, J. (2026). Suicidal Ideation at Intake and Treatment Outcomes in Gambling Disorder Care: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Manuscript in peer review.
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