Education Helps Keep Gambling Problems At Bay Study Finds Addiction Hasn’T Increased Despite Growing Number Of Places To Bet

Thanks to education about the possible ill effects of gambling, the percentage of Washington residents who spend too much on cards, dice, pulltabs and other games of chance hasn’t changed significantly over the past five years.

That’s one of the conclusions of a $120,000 study funded by the Washington State Lottery. The study was released to the public Tuesday by the Washington State Council on Problem Gambling.

The percentage of problem gamblers has varied little despite a large increase in the number of places that will take a bet in Washington, according to the study.

In 1993, 5.1 percent of adults in Washington had a gambling problem at some point during their lives. In 1999, it had dropped to 5 percent, or roughly 208,000 people.

The two studies were identical in method and were conducted by the same researchers who questioned, at random, 1,500 adults about their gambling habits.

“I think this means we are doing our job right,” said Gary Hanson, director of the council.

The nonprofit organization is dedicated to educating the public about problem gambling and acting as a clearinghouse for people seeking help. It formed in 1991, the year the first tribal casino opened in Washington.

The study found that 57 percent of those with gambling problems knew about the council. That knowledge may be a significant reason the percentage of problem gamblers has not increased, Hanson said.

“We are happy that in the face of increased availability of gambling in Washington, we didn’t have an increase in problem gambling,” Hanson said.

“But we don’t want to fool ourselves and say this is all good news. We’d like to see the numbers go down. Just to have a stable rate is not a perfect score in our mind.”

While the percentage of people with gambling problems has not changed, those with problems still struggle to find help.

The state doesn’t provide any money for treatment, many insurance companies won’t cover the cost of treating gambling addiction and the state suffers from a dearth of counselors trained to treat gambling-related disorders.

“I think it is ironic that the state funds alcohol and drug treatment and it doesn’t fund treatment for people with gambling problems when it is directly involved with gambling through the lottery,” Hanson said.

“There is still not enough treatment, and there are not enough people who deal with addictions that have had any training in the issue,” he said.

The industry deserves some of the credit in keeping the percentage stable, Hanson said.

Casinos around the state post the council’s toll-free number and many - particularly tribal casinos - contribute money to the council.

“Tribally speaking, I think there has been a positive effort to deal with problem gamblers,” said Jerry Allen, secretary of the Washington Indian Gaming Association, formerly known as the Northwest Alliance of Gaming Tribes.

Allen also is assistant general manager of Seven Cedars Casino, which is operated by the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in Sequim, Wash.

Floor managers are trained to watch for problem gamblers and try to intervene if they spot someone going too far, Allen said.

The researchers collected their data last October and November. At that time, a new gambling venue - the non-tribal mini casino - was still in its first 18 months of existence.

There are more than 40 minicasinos in the state, including six in the Spokane area. The study doesn’t offer much insight on what role they play in problem gambling.

“It is a fairly new industry. We assume we will do a follow-up study in five years and so now we are just getting some base data on them,” Hanson said.

In Spokane, the mini-casinos have caused an increase in people seeking help, said Jeanne Benson, with the local Gamblers Anonymous chapter.

“I’ve seen more card players than ever, men and women,” Benson said. “Gambling has a cycle and with these mini-casinos, we are just seeing the tip of that now.”

For their part, the mini-casinos are committed to trying to address problem gambling, said Vito Chiechi, lobbyist for the Recreational Gaming Association, the industry group for the mini-casinos.

“If the addiction rate is only 1 percent that is bad,” Chiechi said. “We in the industry are trying everything we know to help people with gambling problems. All our establishments try to watch for that kind of person and steer them to help.”

COUNSELING TRAINING MEETING The Washington State Council on Problem Gambling will have a training seminar in Spokane July 9-10 for counselors who wish to treat problem gamblers. For more information and to register, call the council at (800) 547-6133.