From March 1st through 7th, the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) will host its annual National Problem Gambling Awareness Week. In a change for this year’s festivities, the NCPG has created its own YouTube page, which currently features a dozen Public Service Announcements (PSAs).
Each year, the NCPG estimates that two to three percent of the U.S. population has a gambling problem. In raw numbers, that means six to nine million Americans will be afflicted with the disorder in 2009. In a statement released by the Washington, D.C. organization, Awareness Week Chair Jeff Beck commented, “We decided to use YouTube because it is popular with kids and young adults who are at greater risk for gambling problems. We already have a dozen videos and hope that recovering gamblers will create their own spots to highlight the theme of Real Addiction, Real Recovery.”
The YouTube PSAs include several created by the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling (FCCG). They include spots showing intervention by friends that end with “Friendship: The only thing gambling can’t stand up to.” A video featured from the Delaware Council on Gambling Problems (DCGP) concerns a poker player experiencing a string of poor hands. He says to himself, “Another rotten hand… Just one more hand and I’m out of here…Come on, I just need to get even.” The NCPG is urging problem gamblers to post their own videos in addition to the ones provided.
In total, the 2009 installment of the Awareness Week is focused more on social networking than ever before. NCPG Program Manager Linda Abonyo explained, “Online social networking sites provide a cost effective and confidential forum for individuals to interact with peers and experts without having to leave their home or office. More and more people are finding it easier to communicate through e-mail, online forums, and text messaging, so it makes sense that we should consider reaching out to our constituents through these outlets.”
Literature available on the Awareness Week’s website includes a matter-of-fact look at problem gambling, ways to become involved, and how to deal with a gambling problem effectively. Resources for problem gamblers, prevention providers, treatment providers, government agencies, community agencies, and medical professionals are available for free. Facts available in the materials reveal that 85% of U.S. adults have gambled at least once in their lifetimes; 80% have done so in the past year. All but two states (Utah and Hawaii) have some form of legalized gambling, including casinos, lotteries, and race tracks.
An estimated 40% to 60% of the money bet in brick and mortar casinos comes from the ATMs located on site. The NCPG quotes a 1999 study by the National Research Council that claims, “Between 25 and 50 percent of spouses of pathological gamblers have been abused.” Despite Congressman Spencer Bachus’ (R-AL) erroneous claim that one-third of college students who gamble online ultimately attempted suicide, the NCPG notes, “Ten percent of clients enrolled in Oregon’s gambling treatment system considered and formulated plans to commit suicide within six months of enrollment to treatment.” Additionally, 40 percent of those in the Oregon system used crime as a method to finance gambling habits.
Participants in the 2008 Awareness Week included Foxwoods, the Kansas Lottery Commission, Healthline.com, and West Virginia’s Tri-State Racing and Gaming Center. The Awareness Week operates a 24 hour toll free confidential problem gambling hotline. The number to call is 1-800-522-4700.
The NCPG was founded in 1972 by Joseph A. Dunne and Dr. Robert Custer. A variety of membership levels exist, ranging from $75 for individuals to $5,000 for corporations. The organization is headed by Keith Whyte; Bill Eadington serves as the President of its Board of Directors.