Area Casinos Agree To Help Treat Addicts Program At Deaconess Will Offer Therapy For Problem Gamblers

In a first for Washington, two Spokane mini-casinos have agreed to help pay for an ambitious gambling addiction treatment program offered by a local hospital.

“It sounds like it could be the most far-reaching program in the state,” said Gary Hanson, director of the Washington State Council on Problem Gambling in Olympia. “It could be something that sets a real precedent for industry involvement.”

Silver Lanes and Players & Spectators will provide a total of $12,000 this year for treatment through Deaconess Medical Center. The program will offer 30 weeks of individual treatment and 52 weeks of group therapy.

The program is available to any resident of Spokane County at no more than $20 per session.

“People may say you are just doing this because you are in the business,” said H.T. Higgins, owner of Players & Spectators. “Obviously, I want to run a responsible gaming establishment, but it is also part of my philosophy as a businessman to make a difference in the community.”

Higgins said his financial contributions will continue beyond the first year.

“As long as we remain in operation, we are in this for the long haul,” he said.

The action by the two mini-casinos is unusual in the nation’s gambling industry.

“This has not been the trend,” said Judy Patterson, director of the American Gaming Association, which represents the country’s largest gambling interests.

“Basically the industry, as a general matter, made a decision three years ago that it would be better to fund research,” Patterson said.

While gambling has grown exponentially in Washington over the past decade - current estimates place industry revenue at $2.4 billion annually - help for problem gamblers has been almost nonexistent. The state, which earns more than $100 million annually from the lottery, spends nothing on treatment.

Gambling addiction is a particularly vicious disorder because people can hide it for years. It typically leaves the sufferer too broke to pay for help, and insurance companies seldom pay for treatment. In Washington, an estimated 53,000 to 138,000 adults have a gambling problem.

The idea for the program came from Mike Forness, program manager for Deaconess’ behavioral medicine unit.

“Based on a needs assessment, it was apparent there weren’t any services available for problem gamblers and their families,” Forness said. “Someone had to step up to the plate.”

At this point, Forness doesn’t know how many people will seek treatment. Problem gamblers suffer from shame and embarrassment and are typically reluctant to seek help, he said.

However, a dozen people have sought help at Deaconess this year. Additionally, in the fall of 1998 there was only one Gamblers Anonymous meeting per week in Spokane. By the end of March, the number of weekly meetings will reach five.

The program may prove welltimed. The amount of gambling available to Spokane County residents has increased dramatically in recent years with expansions at the Coeur d’ Alene tribal casino in Worley, Idaho, and the opening of eight mini-casinos in the Spokane metropolitan area since late 1997. The Kalispel Tribe is expected to open a $20 million casino in Airway Heights in the next 12 months.

There could be 4,000 to 10,000 problem gamblers in Spokane County, based on a lottery-funded survey done last year. Although Forness expects only 1 percent of those people would contact the program in the first year, he anticipates “exponential growth” after that as word spreads about treatment.

At first, the program will only offer outpatient treatment, where problem gamblers would visit a counselor at an office. Forness hopes to offer some inpatient care in 2001 for gambling addicts who need more intensive treatment.

“This is where we are starting. I think all of us have the intent to grow this,” Forness said.

“I think this is a good start,” said Charles Maurer, a Ph.D. clinical psychologist in Seattle and president of the National Council on Problem Gambling.

“Working with gamblers can be very frustrating given the high level of relapse and high dropout rate. But for problem gamblers who can’t afford anything, this is better than nothing,” he said.

Henry Lesieur, president of the Institute for Problem Gambling in Rhode Island and one of the nation’s foremost experts on gambling addiction, questioned if the program would have enough money.

“I am cautiously optimistic,” he said. “Although personally I think this is a state responsibility.”

Deaconess will pick up the slack if demand outstrips the initial funding, Forness said.

However, Deaconess hopes to gain more funding and assistance by canvassing the community for help. On March 15, the medical center will conduct a public meeting on creating a communitywide strategy for addressing gambling addiction.

“There is not good community awareness about this problem. We’d like to raise that,” he said.

Forness said Deaconess launched the program to meet a need in the community, not for a profit motive.

“There are no revenues to be realized with this,” he said.

He also defended the industry’s involvement.

“I can tell you dealing with two mini-casinos that this is truly a community stewardship program on their part,” he said. “I feel very comfortable with their commitment and their motivation.”

Gary Hanson, with the Washington State Council on Problem Gambling, took a different tack: “I don’t care what their motivation is as long as they do what needs to be done.”

“We need to admit that most people who gamble don’t have a problem with it,” he said. “And if the industry is behaving responsibly, we should acknowledge that.”

These sidebars appeared with the story: GAMBLING Treatment

Deaconess Medical Center’s gambling treatment program is up and running. Gamblers - or their families - who want help may call (509) 473-7392 for an appointment.

Treatment is initially free and then progresses to $10 and $20 per session.

Gamblers Anonymous is meeting four times a week in Spokane and soon will add a fifth weekly meeting.

Gamblers Anonymous may be reached at (509) 889-7590.

WHAT’S NEXT Public meeting

Deaconess Medical Center will host a community meeting on problem gambling on March 15 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

The meeting is to get community comment on how to raise awareness about problem gambling and how to further provide help to those suffering from a gambling addiction.

The meeting will be in the first floor auditorium of Deaconess Medical Center, 800 W. Fifth.