Casino news from http://www.courier-journal.com/
Kentucky officials estimate the state has more than 25,000 compulsive gamblers.
In an attempt to help some of them and prevent others from joining their ranks, a coalition of gambling-industry groups will be giving away pens, posters and other materials this week.
Kentucky's fifth annual Responsible Gaming Education Week, with the slogan "Responsible gaming, responsible families," begins today.
The project's sponsors include the Kentucky Lottery Corp., the state's horse-racing tracks, Indiana's Ohio River casinos, and Kentucky's Office of Charitable Gaming, Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse and Council on Problem Gambling, as well as certified compulsive gambler counselors.
The Kentucky Lottery Corp. will distribute about 40,000 "scratchers," small, plastic guitar-like picks used to scratch off tickets, with the slogan "Play responsibly" to lottery retailers across the state, said Nichelle Anthony, the lottery's minority- and community-affairs coordinator.
About 12,500 pens bearing the slogan will be given away at horse tracks and at Ohio River casinos. Keeneland is paying about $6,000 for the pens, said Michael Stone, executive director of the Council on Problem Gambling.
Around 5,000 posters featuring a two-question self-help test will be displayed at lottery outlets, race tracks, casinos and charitable bingo outlets. The questions are: "Have you ever felt the need to bet more and more money?" and "Have you ever had to lie to people important to you about how much you gambled?"
A package of gambling prevention and awareness materials is being sent by the Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse to mental-health centers around the state.
Stone said the council's help line, (800) GAMBLER, gets about 2,500 calls a year. But he said it typically gets more calls in August during and after the annual awareness campaign than in other months.
About 750 calls over the year require what he called "meaningful service," such as a referral to a counselor or to Gamblers Anonymous or providing follow-up gambling awareness information.
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