March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month

Posted: Thu, Mar 21, 2019 8:46 AM

Helping Services for Youth & Families has been subcontracted through Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health to start doing the problem gambling prevention work, along with the substance abuse prevention, in Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard, and Winneshiek Counties. Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health will be doing the treatment for problem gambling addiction in those counties.

Helping Services' job will be assessing the problem gambling needs in the counties and then educating communities on risky and problem gambling behaviors and the fact that gambling includes (but is not limited to) slot machines, bingo, raffle tickets, sports betting, online poker, dice games and casino games.

Staff members will be doing presentations for seniors in senior centers on risky and problem gambling, distributing problem gambling month media materials, and working with the substance abuse prevention coalitions in each of the counties to look at ways to educate and reduce problem gambling in communities. They also promote the yourlifeiowa website (https://yourlifeiowa.org/) and hotline for people to find local resources and treatment. Internet gambling is becoming much more prevalent in general, especially among teenagers.

Helping Services Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Kimber says, "The Responsible Gaming Council states that 'Compared to adults, young people are 2 to 3 times more likely to develop a gambling problem' and this is the first generation of youth to be exposed to gambling every day of their life. There are many unregulated gambling sites out there and they are accessible anytime from anywhere with an internet connection.Gambling and gaming are different but researchers are finding tremendous links between the two when it comes to youth. Sports betting is becoming more popular among youth, along with reaching younger audiences all the time. March Madness and fantasy sports are examples of these."

As March Madness reaches a crescendo, with an estimated $10 billion in bets placed on the NCAA basketball championship games, calls to Gambling Helplines spike an average of 30% during the month.

To get help for a gambling problem for you or a loved one, call (855) 581-8111 or text (855) 895-8398. These numbers are free of charge and confidential. You can also contact your local problem gambling treatment provider, Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health, by calling (563) 382-3649.

For more information about problem gambling and how to have the conversation, go to www.yourlifeiowa.org/gambling.