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Nevada Problem Gambling Program Launches Today

LAS VEGAS -- Educational materials and awareness training about gambling addiction in Nevada have primarily been concentrated at casinos and video poker parlors, seen mainly by employees and gamblers.

And while psychologists, researchers and other experts have long accepted compulsive gambling as a public health threat that touches many lives beyond the casino floor, the broader public has been slower to accept the legitimacy of the disease.

The Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, part of a nationwide nonprofit network of education and training groups, aims to change that with a new partnership with the United Way of Southern Nevada.

The program, announced today, will disseminate information to nonprofit programs that receive funding through the United Way and builds on partnerships struck last year with several local non-gaming employers to distribute material and train employees on how to spot gambling problems.

It is timed to coincide with National Problem Gambling Awareness Week, a first-ever nationwide campaign that kicked off Monday and is sponsored by the National Council on Problem Gambling.

Starting today, the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, which is affiliated with the National Council, will hold a series of training sessions for nonprofit service providers at the United Way offices.

MGM MIRAGE, a third partner in the program, is donating $5,000 to fund operational costs, including the distribution of education pamphlets to community service groups.

"The council can't go out and hit every agency out there," said Carol O'Hare, executive director of the Nevada Council. While United Way agencies have sought some materials and training in the past, the effort marks the first time "we have gone to them and reached out to all of them at once," O'Hare said.

The partnership is significant because it reaches a wider segment of society that may not be getting the message about problem gambling, advocates say. It may also help fuel a legislative effort under way to earmark $250,000 in state money to treat compulsive gamblers, they say.

"This is a notable chapter in the history of problem gambling in Nevada -- a state that has never spent a dime on treatment for problem gamblers," said Bo Bernhard, an assistant professor of hotel management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and director of gambling research at UNLV's William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration.

It also is a more effective way to reach people who are already receiving help for a variety of other problems, supporters say. In recent years, research on problem gambling has shown that one addiction often co-exists with others and they can trigger one another. Helping a person with an alcohol or drug addiction without addressing gambling habits may not solve the problem, they say.

"If that intake person doesn't have the information, we may not be providing the best service to help that person get their life in control," said Punam Mathur, vice president of corporate diversity and community affairs at MGM MIRAGE.

The local United Way funds more than 140 nonprofit programs at more than 70 agencies. The fraction of those programs that offer health care, counseling and related services directly to adults will be the first to participate in the training program, United Way Chief Executive Dan Goulet said.

The ultimate goal will be to involve all community groups in the education effort, as gambling problems can touch many lives, he said.

"At the Boys and Girls Club, for example, a single parent may be getting their child into an after-school program," he said. "(The parent) may have financial (problems) that lead to the issue of problem gambling or alcohol and drug issues."

Goulet said he has sought more partnerships with casino companies and other entities since his arrival from Michigan to head the nonprofit clearinghouse.

"I look at problem gambling as one of the many issues of abuse that our clients are faced with," he said. "It's a newer effort to educate the community."

Over the next few weeks, the United Way expects to involve local businesses, government agencies and educational institutions in a separate effort to study the community's social service needs that will be used to fund future programs.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Nevada and the Salvation Army in Las Vegas, both organizations that receive United Way funding, expect to attend the training sessions this week.

Azucena Valladolid, director of the counseling department at Consumer Credit Counseling Service, said gambling problems are a "common issue" with her clients and one of several reasons why they seek financial help.

"We're not gambling counselors but we definitely need the information on where to redirect people," she said. "As much as we help people budget ... if the bottom issue doesn't get addressed, it's just going to be a revolving door. Problems are going to continue to arise."

Since January 2002, the Salvation Army has offered problem gambling treatment for adults already enrolled in the nonprofit's inpatient alcohol and drug treatment rehabilitation program.

"Everyone's aware that there is a problem and certainly everybody needs to be aware of the signs of problems gambling," said William Raihl, executive director of the Salvation Army. "The more social service providers are aware of the problem the more they can help identify those with gambling issues."

The move coincides with a separate initiative under way to launch an outpatient treatment program for gambling addicts.

The Salvation Army is still trying to raise money for the program, which was announced late last year and would mark the third significant treatment program for compulsive gamblers in Las Vegas.

National Problem Gambling Awareness Week is modeled after other campaigns to reach public health officials and treatment providers as well as the general public to discuss diseases such as breast cancer and depression, organizers say.

At least 25 states will hold activities this week, including conferences and other events. Connecticut will hold a symposium on sports gambling prevention and Delaware's racetracks, which also offer slot machines, will have booths where people will disseminate problem gambling hotlines and other information, for example.

The campaign comes as many states are considering legalizing gambling opportunities to raise needed tax money -- a prospect that is being met by a grass-roots opposition.

The council takes a neutral stand on gambling expansion and instead advocates for education and treatment.

"Our focus for the week isn't on who caused (gambling addiction) and who's to blame but on getting existing health care providers to address this issue and screen their clients," said Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council.

"Whether or not you are pro or against gambling, you're going to have a problem with (gambling addiction). We want to demonstrate that there's help and hope available and that (treatment) does work."

The effort was timed to coincide with the beginning of "March Madness" -- the NCAA basketball championship season and one of the biggest gambling events of the year -- to underscore the fact that gambling problems aren't concentrated in states that have legalized casinos, Whyte said.

The NCAA championship is especially appealing to gamblers because it is a nationwide event that brings together fans of so many teams, he said.

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