WNYC reports that come November, New Yorkers will have their say as to whether there should be more gambling allowed in the state. Those that administer treatment to gambling addicts say it will result in more cases.
Affiliated with the state agency on alcohol and drug abuse, the not-for-profit New York Council on Problem Gambling coordinates and publicizes treatments for New York problem gamblers.
The group is neutral on its stance of gambling expansion. Director of Prevention and Training, Michelle Hadden, says they are “agnostic” but adds there is no arguing that more opportunities to gamble bring about more gambling addictions.
Hadden continues: “Any time there’s an expansion of gambling and it’s available, we’re going to see some folks get into trouble with it. I think we will see some additional problem gamblers.”
The group has a website that helps its visitors identify whether their gambling habit is really an addiction. A calculator found on the site helps users tally how much money they spend on gambling each week.
The group gathers data in surveys that estimate 67 percent of all adults in New York engage in some form of gambling. It estimates that five percent of all adults in New York are “problem pathological gamblers.”
Voters in November will determine if the building of four resort style casinos upstate is allowed.
Hadden says that more people end up in trouble from overplaying more common forms of gambling such as lottery tickets due to their ease of accessibility
Statistics show increased gambling among young people. Eighty percent of high school students gamble and seventy-five percent of college goers do. According to Hadden, the fastest growing market segment of gambling is online for this age group.
Hadden says that while most gamblers do not develop an addiction, those who do rarely know how to seek help. Hadden would like to see additional funding to help gambling addicts.
The referendum on the ballot in November would force new casino owners to contribute $500 per new slot machine and game table that would go towards the aide and treatment of problem gamblers.
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