Gambling addiction can cost people massive amounts of debt and disrupt relationships and careers. But it s not as identifiable as substance addictions, according to Mercedes Kent. It s not a matter of willpower, she said. This is a brain disease. Kent is a treatment provider and supervisor at Gateway Foundation, which runs addiction treatment centers, including one in Springfield. Gambling expansion is a moneymaker for the state, but as it expands, so do the rates of gambling disorders, Kent said. Kent spoke as part of a recent weeklong series, hosted by Gateway, addressing gambling addiction throughout Illinois. Speakers included public health and addiction treatment professionals and various lawmakers, both Democratic and Republican. Many agree that while gambling taxes bring in revenue Illinois sorely needs, the state has an obligation to help people who suffer as a result.
2021 | Week of March 1 | Radio Transcript #1401
A 1996 survey revealed that less than 1% of Wisconsin citizens, or about 32,425 residents were problem gamblers and that the annual social costs related to those problem gamblers was over $300 million, or $9,469 per problem gambler in general and over $10,000 per casino problem gambler. Those numbers clearly should have told us something. But they didn’t.
And now, in 2021, Wisconsin has approximately 7% of its adult population, or about 333,000 people, identified as problem gamblers, which means, even using the same 1996 per-gambler cost, Wisconsin society now pays well over $3 billion annually in social costs related to the dysfunctional consequences of problem gambling. Once again, those numbers should clearly tell us something.
March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) For the 19th year, the Oregon Council on Problem Gambling dedicates March to help increase public awareness of problem gambling and the availability of prevention, treatment and recovery services.
This coincides with the National Problem Gambling Awareness Month, whose campaign theme is “
Awareness + Action.”
“Problem Gambling Awareness Month is always important to us, as we highlight a ‘hidden’ addiction that millions of Americans face, including one in every 38 Oregon adults,” said Executive Director of the Oregon Council on Problem Gambling Julie Hynes.
“This year, we bring special attention to problem gambling, given the stress, isolation and financial uncertainty of so many Oregonians throughout the pandemic,” said Hynes. “Some can be tempted to seek hope through jackpots and escape from everyday problems via other gambling options. More widespread legalized online betting, day trading, and ev