Anti-gambling bill for soldiers

I am no fan of gambling. Yet, there are those who find this enjoyable as a recreation. There are others, however, who find it addicting. Now, it's not necessarily a physical addiction, like drugs might cause. But, it can be addicting, nonetheless.

Now there is a bill before Congress that would outlaw gambling on military installations due to a soldier committing suicide because of it. That's what the report is. He became addicted to gambling on slot machines, went AWOL, was removed from the military, and pretty well lost his wife and kids.

The widow is lambasting the military for not intervening for him and getting him the help he needed. At one point, after being booted out of the military, he was found in Las Vegas, homeless. His family was in Maine. His wife said he lost over $20,000 to gambling.

Here's where my questions arise: Why wasn't he in Maine with his family instead of homeless in Nevada? Where was his wife while he was suffering from this addiction after his release from the military? Where was his family? Is this bill a good idea? How many soldiers are actually addicted to slot machines in this way? If this is prevalent, why aren't steps being taken WITHIN the military to correct it?

I have to wonder if the suicide was not only a result of the gambling addiction, but also a result of possibly being rejected by those he needed the most. I don't know the details, of course. I just wonder.