In the news: Problem gambling worse than thought

Expert: 2 to 3 percent of population has a gambling problem

Figures are bad news for casino industry
By Liz Benston -- Las Vegas Sun

Wednesday, March 8, 2006

The National Council on Problem Gambling kicked off an education campaign this week by noting that 2 percent to 3 percent of Americans - or about 6 to 9 million adults - have gambling problems.
Numbers can be worth a thousand words. They also can have political and social implications. That's why the National Council's estimate is bad news for the casino industry - it's two or three times as high as the 1 percent rate often cited by the industry.
The greater the percentage of problem gamblers, the tougher it is for the gaming industry to persuade states without casinos that the economic effect of gambling - jobs, tourism, and especially taxes - more than offsets the social cost of increased exposure to casino gambling.
And in states that already allow casino gambling, such as Nevada, bigger numbers make the industry seem less like a good corporate citizen, one that pays taxes, employs folks and promotes good, clean fun, and more like the tobacco and distilling industries, which sells cigarettes and liquor that can lead to cancer, alcoholism and other social ills.

The National Council's estimate is based on the most recent original research available on gambling problems nationwide, Executive Director Keith Whyte said.

Remainder of article available at: http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-other/2006/mar/08/566659859.html

The Places Luck Can Take You

My story is about luck. You know, everyone today wishes to be lucky. Lucky enough to win the game, to get the promotion at work, to not get a speeding ticket when you're late for work, and of course to win the lottery or just your local poker game.

How much does just plain luck have to do with these things? Are some people just luckier than others? Can you increase your luck by carrying a lucky penny, rabbit's foot, or token of some sort?

I used to think these things were true. We always said that my brother was the lucky one in our family. As kids we would walk through the store together, he found a $20 bill near the register. Camping we all walked along the same log, he found the $10 bill. He was always picking up coins off the ground, and somehow we all just knew it was because he was luckier than we were. This did not stop in adulthood. When he turned 18 he bought himself a scratch ticket from the Oregon Lottery. Guess what, $500 winner.

How can one guy be this lucky?

He continued to buy lottery tickets, winning some, losing some. He bought some mega bucks, and keno tickets as well. We heard a lot more about the winning than we did the losing so I can't really tell you a percentage of wins to losses. Then video poker came into Oregon. This was a new challenge for him, one that he took on like any other, with 110% effort. Again, he started out lucky, with wins; enough for him and us to all think once again, he was just lucky.

After some time, it seemed that his luck had started to run out. Things were not going his way any more. He was losing more than he was winning, to the point of having to borrow and sell things to keep gambling, and he was passed up for a promotion at work. He continued to gamble, more than he had been to try to get his lost money back. Chasing that win, knowing that his luck would turn again. It didn't happen liked he had hoped. For a guy that was used to winning, these were some pretty hard facts to face.

He became suicidal and spoke about it to only a couple of people who didn't know what to do so they did nothing. I am not sure how long he felt this way; I know that he did write a few notes. The last one he wrote was the hardest to read. He spoke of a cruel world, (things weren't going his way anymore), he felt like a ghost, someone that no one could see, and that he couldn't see anyone else. You see, Bobby's luck took him places for a long time, but when it ran out, he lost more than his money. Before he lost his life, he lost his self respect, his self esteem, his quality of life, his love of life, and his desire to live and hope. He wanted it all to stop.
This is way too much to lose; I think gambling with these things is too much
to ask.

My point of this story is that you really can't rely on luck, you may be lucky for awhile but chances are it will run out. You hear about the good things that gambling does, the big wins, this is the other side. If you can't control it by sticking to time and money limits or if it controls your thoughts, or it is not fun any more, it is time to get help.

I have learned there are people out there that care, and that really want to and know how to help, that it is okay to talk about your gambling problem, or your family members gambling problem without feeling the shame and guilt that Bobby felt. I know that if we continue to educate people on this issue that maybe we can help others not suffer the same pain that Bobby suffered and that we are still suffering today. I have always said that the pain that my family and I have felt is sometimes unbearable, but it is nothing compared to what he must have been feeling at the moment he decided to end it. I can't imagine having that kind of pain over something that is offered as entertainment by our State and Country.

Please help us continue to share about the addiction of gambling, and the trouble it can cause.

Know that help is available. It is free, confidential and it works.

Call 1-877-2-STOP NOW.

Ronda Hatefi -Eugene, OR.
Founder Oregonians for Gambling Awareness Organization

Problem Gambling Awareness Week

March 6-12 is Problem Gambling Awareness Week.

This is our chance to highlight that, yes, this is a serious problem and -- there is hope and help for problem gamblers and their loved ones. In Oregon, FREE help can be accessed for anyone concerned about a gambling problem by calling 1-877-2-STOP-NOW.

The theme of this year's Awareness Week is youth and poker. Find out more at:

www.lanecounty.org/prevention/gambling/opgaw.htm

www.npgaw.org

www.youthpoker.org

Left: Award-winning poster created by Hollis Gehrett of Eugene, Oregon's Monroe Middle School. Hollis won last year's Oregon Problem Gambling Awareness Week poster search, and her poster was printed up this year as the theme for Awareness Week throughout the state. She and her school will be honored on March 10 in Eugene. More...