Kindbridge Behavioral Health and Axis Integrated Mental Health on Thursday announced a partnership to expand access to care for Coloradans struggling with gambling addiction and related mental health conditions.
The partnership provides a clear care pathway for people and families: specialized gambling addiction therapy as the starting point, and advanced psychiatric treatment like Deep TMS and Spravato (esketamine) as the next step when therapy alone is not enough.
“Gambling disorder is one of the most misunderstood behavioral health conditions, but it is highly treatable with the right care,” Kindbridge CEO Daniel Umfleet said in a statement. “This partnership makes it easier for Colorado families to take action quickly and access specialized treatment that matches the true complexity of the problem.”
Kindbridge Behavioral Health is a Denver, Colorado, provider specializing in gambling addiction treatment; Axis Integrated Mental Health is a Colorado psychiatry clinic.
Since the launch of legal sports betting in Colorado in 2020, participation has grown significantly. According to a statement, annual wagering in the state has increased from about $2.3 billion to more than $6.3 billion. This growth reflects expanded access to regulated betting options statewide, particularly through mobile platforms.
As access has expanded, so has the importance of ensuring that appropriate support is available. Public-health research commonly estimates that about 5% of people who gamble may experience serious gambling-related challenges, representing a meaningful number of Coloradans who could benefit from timely, specialized support.
While Colorado has made important investments in prevention, education, and responsible gambling initiatives, the treatment landscape continues to evolve, the news release said. Many existing services are not fully equipped to address gambling disorder alongside commonly co-occurring mental-health conditions such as depression, ADHD, PTSD, or trauma.
The partnership between Kindbridge and Axis helps fill that gap by offering an integrated model that combines Kindbridge’s gambling-specific therapy with Axis’ advanced psychiatric care. Kindbridge provides specialized gambling addiction therapy and structured support via telehealth, helping people intervene early and build recovery skills.
Axis offers advanced interventions that can help accelerate progress, including:
- Deep TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation): A non-invasive, drug-free treatment targeting brain networks involved in mood regulation and impulse control. Research into TMS for compulsive behaviors and addiction-related symptoms may offer hope for patients who have not improved with standard approaches alone.
- Spravato (esketamine): An FDA-approved nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression. For patients whose compulsive gambling is driven by severe depression or emotional numbness, Spravato may help improve symptoms more rapidly, allowing therapy and behavior change to take hold.
“Most people want help for their compulsive behaviors but are unsure of where to even start,” said Axis Integrated Mental Health’s Co-founder Liesl Perez. “This partnership makes it easier for people to start care easily with specialized therapy, then access cutting-edge treatments that can deliver better results than just medication or therapy alone.”
Coloradans can access Kindbridge’s gambling addiction therapy statewide via telehealth, while Axis provides in-person psychiatric care and advanced treatments at its clinics in Denver, Aurora, Boulder, and Westminster.
