The National Council on Problem Gambling says as many as 10 million U.S. adults have significant issues with gambling and that it is the form of addiction that has the highest suicide rate. Despite the severity, only about 8% of those with a gambling disorder seek help, according to the Rutgers Addiction Research Center.
In February 2025, when Gov. Phil Murphy presented his last New Jersey budget to the Legislature, he sought to double the tax rate for online sports wagering to 25%. Cape May County’s own state senator, Michael Testa, said at the time, “Simply put, doubling the tax on online sports betting and iGaming is putting a New Jersey success story at significant risk.”
New Jersey did raise the tax, but less than the governor asked for. It went to 19% from 15% of online gambling and 13% for sports betting.
As the big game approaches, Gonzales warns that removal of any stigma from gambling means vulnerable individuals are at greater risk. “You can legally gamble at home, privately, or with friends. You can gamble by yourself. There’s no judgment or stigma that you have to deal with anymore,” he said.
Belief in Climate Change
A new YouGov poll suggests a significant rise in the number of Americans who see dire consequences ahead as a result of climate change. Many even say they experience anxiety when they think of or discuss climate change.
Up to a quarter of those surveyed say it is very or somewhat likely that climate change will lead to the extinction of the human race. Twice that many (56%) think shifts in the climate and associated sea level rise make it likely that major U.S. cities will be lost to the ocean. Similar numbers see mass displacement of people from some parts of the world creating massive migrations. The concerns include likely serious damage to the world economy (58%).
The belief in climate change and its likely impacts have increasingly become partisan issues, with major differences on central issues of impact. Over 80% of Democrats see major economic damage from climate change, while only 29% of those who identify as Republican agree.
In fact Republicans have changed their views significantly just in 2025, where 48% of them in May said they saw major damage likely to the economy.
Americans who say they experience distress over climate change projections tend to be younger citizens, with a full third of Americans 18 to 29 experiencing some anxiety and only 17% of those over 65. The survey was conducted in mid-December.
Part of the concern is the increasingly fierce storms that have shown an ability to intensify significantly and quickly. A report from Aon plc shows severe convective storms surpassed tropical cyclones as the costliest peril of the 21st century. These impact areas far from the coasts, where the greatest worry over storm damage has been.
It is the experience of extreme weather events that has moved the needle for many on belief in climate change, with a rising percentage agreeing that climate change is largely a product of human activity.
Confusion still enters the picture of how to interpret poll results. In New Jersey a Monmouth University 2024 poll says that 73%, nearly 3 out of every 4, Americans believe the world’s climate is undergoing radical change that poses a danger through extreme storm events and sea level rise, while 23% say it is not happening.
Yet, the Monmouth poll says less than half (46%) of the American public sees climate change as a very serious problem. It also says there has been a drop in support for government action with respect to climate change.
What the polls tend to show most is a divide rather than a consensus, making long-term action difficult to sustain.
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