Contributing expert Carol O'Hare writes:
The signs that you see in the casinos are partly due to Nevada’s gaming regulation (NGC 5.170) that requires all gaming licensees to take certain steps to address the issue of problem gambling. One of those steps is to post the helpline number and provide written information about the "nature and symptoms of problem gambling and resources for help." That’s why you may also have noticed brochures or pamphlets with titles like "When the Fun Stops," displayed near ATM machines or the casino cage.
In 1999, the first year the regulation went into effect, the number of calls to the Problem Gamblers HelpLine (800/522-4700) more than doubled, from 897 in 1998 to a record high, at that time, of 1,870. More than 2,600 calls were received in 2004, and in 2005 we continue to average more than 200 calls a month.
These numbers are not the result of lip service — they’re the result of taking action. The gaming regulation was adopted with strong support, not opposition, from the gaming industry. In fact, most of the larger gaming companies were already taking these steps and more, as part of their corporate programs to address problem gambling. The regulation simply established a minimum standard for all gaming licensees to follow.
But the efforts to help problem gamblers go well beyond the HelpLine number and gaming-industry initiatives. In southern Nevada more than 90 Gamblers Anonymous support groups hold meetings each week, where problem gamblers can get help from people who are also recovering from a gambling problem. Gam-Anon offers a similar support network for the family members and friends of problem gamblers. A limited number of professional treatment services are available for those who may need more intensive therapy to deal with the problems created by their gambling. The Nevada Council on Problem Gambling directs its ongoing program efforts toward public awareness and education, working to improve the community response to this issue and increase the availability of services. And just this year, the Nevada Legislature approved a bill that created a Problem Gambling Prevention and Treatment Fund, which will provide approximately $2.5 million to support additional program efforts over the next two years.
These efforts are very real and very necessary in order for people to reach out for the help they need. Are they effective? Not for every person every time. But for most people these efforts are what move them from the hopelessness of addiction into the hopeful experience of recovery. For them, it isn’t all that important to know what motivated someone to put up the HelpLine number. What matters is that the number was there when they needed it and someone answered the phone when they called.
