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Casino Gambling Dominates as Top Choice Of New Jersey HelpLine Callers

Of those calls, 2,172 were used in our statistical configuration. Casinos were the number one choice for gambling activity, with 61% of people stating it was their primary gambling type, and 69% of total callers participating in casino gambling. While only 9% of people claimed the lottery as their primary gambling type, 20% of total callers stated they participated in lottery gambling. Sports betting ranked third with 16% of callers claiming it was their primary gambling type.

The most startling figure that arose from the 2001 HelpLine statistics is the amount of people over the age of 55 reaching out for help with a gambling problem. Up 6% from 2000, 15% of 1-800-GAMBLER(c) calls came from people over 55. Up 6% from 2000, females totaled 24% of HelpLine calls in 2001.

More diversity is being found among callers to the 1-800-GAMBLER(c) HelpLine. The number of Caucasian callers dropped 9% from last year to 76%. More single people are addressing their need for help, with a 19% increase in the amount of single callers, totaling 37%. In a 29% drop from 2000 statistics, 37% of HelpLine callers stated being married.

The Council's website www.800gambler.org is continuing to see a rise in the amount of hits it receives each year. In 2001, the website received over 440,000 hits. Internet gambling, which is illegal, continues to rise. In 2001, 3% of HelpLine callers bet online.

Casino gamblers averaged 8.2 hours per visit to the casino with the average duration of gambling problems rising from 15 years in 2000 to 31 years in 2001. 6% of callers had a history of alcohol or drug abuse.

Of the 2001 1-800-GAMBLER(c) HelpLine callers:

69% gambled in casinos

20% gambled on lotteries

16% bet on sports (illegally)

14% bet on horse races

3% were Internet gamblers

4% were employed in the gambling industry

1% gambled on the Stock Market

- The Council's outreach efforts continued to flourish in 2001.

- The Council presented 161 professional trainings to 1,587 people.

- The Council distributed 16,500 promotional pieces of literature about problem gambling.

- The Council participated in 181 radio/TV interviews and 1,965 newspaper/magazine articles.

The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, Inc. is a private non-profit organization that provides information, education and referral services for people affected by compulsive gambling. The Council's mission is to educate the public to the fact that compulsive gambling is a treatable illness. The Council's 1-800-GAMBLER(c) Helpline and website, www.800gambler.org, have been resources for thousands of people who are compulsive gamblers and recovering from compulsive gambling.

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