Gambler’s Anonymous Has A Busy Weekend

Even before the clock ran out on the Super Bowl, the phones began ringing at compulsive gambling hotlines nationwide.

The day after the game brings the onset of reality - in many cases desperation - and the busiest week in the business of counseling compulsive gamblers.

“There’s always an increase” immediately after the game, said Tom Herity, an operator with the Council on Compulsive Gambling in Trenton, N.J.

“Some of the people are sports bettors, where the Super Bowl is the break-even or get-ahead bet,” he said. “They wake up with a financial nightmare or hangover.”

An average of 200 to 300 calls a day will be placed this week to the 1-800-GAMBLER line, more than double the average.

The callers are predominantly men who have lost various amounts of money.

“The dollar amounts are irrelevant,” said Herity, who had 90 messages seeking information waiting for him Monday morning. “Whatever brought them to the conclusion that gambling is having an adverse impact on their lives is important.”

The Super Bowl is the most heavily bet sports event in Nevada’s sports books, which offer the only legal betting in the country on the game.

Bettors legally wagered $54.5 million on the game last year, and bookmakers estimated a similar amount was bet this year, though final figures have not been released. An estimated $2 billion was wagered, including illegal bets.

Only 1 percent of those who need help actually seek it, said Paul Ashe, president of the National Council on Problem Gambling and based in Florida.

“When they lose a lot of money or their wife threatens them with divorce or they write bad checks” they phone for help, said Ashe, adding calls to his Orlando office already had increased.

In one case, a 20-year-old college student in South Florida called. He was “very depressed” after losing $15,000 on the game.

“He told me that he went in over his head and he’s very worried about it,” Ashe said. “He doesn’t know how he’s going to pay back the money he’s lost.”

Another man, who said he was over 55, called before the game Sunday and said he had put $60,000 on the underdog. San Diego lost 49-26 and didn’t beat the spread.

“He called just before the game and asked if we thought he was a compulsive gambler,” said Ashe. “I told him I thought he was.”

The two callers, like most others who phone for help, were referred to Gamblers Anonymous, a 12-step program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. GA has support groups nationwide.

“We’ll see the increase usually come tomorrow,” Mark, 32, a GA sponsor in Miami, said Monday. “Anyone who lost money (Sunday) will try to make it up today. The bookie usually gives them a day to try to come up with the money.”

Chargers hobble home

Under a bright Southern California sky and beside a sparkling blue harbor, the wounded Chargers returned home - and suddenly life didn’t look quite so glum.

“We took a licking, but there’ll be another day,” coach Bobby Ross said. “I’ve told the players, what we have to do is just put that game behind us.”

Tens of thousands of fans poured into downtown San Diego to start that process.

Welcoming their team from a devastating Super Bowl loss to the 49ers in Miami, the hometown crowd cheered and screamed, waved flags and “bolts” and tried to reassure the Chargers all is not so bleak.

“It’s a nice welcome, after we did a not-sogood job,” said tight end Duane Young, his smile small and pained. “It hurts to lose like that. No one wants to lose like that. It hurts your pride. But this will help.”

By the time the parade was over, everyone was smiling. And at least a little bit of that old football bravado had been restored.

“We’re going to bounce back,” shouted defensive tackle Reuben Davis.

AFC on the skids

Based on uniform results from the last 11 Super Bowls, the AFC has assumed a distinct identity - non-winner.

The AFC has won all but 13 of the last 14 Super Bowls and not lost any of them to the NFC by more than 45 points.