Fewer calls made to problem gambling hot line in 2006
Press-Gazette
In the wake of all the hoopla over another huge Powerball lottery jackpot, the Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling today said it's getting fewer calls to its Helpline than ever.
The 24-hour hot line for problem gamblers received 9,206 calls last year, down 8 percent from 2005.
Executive director Rose Gruber blamed the drop on the council's inability to advertise the Helpline as much as it had in previous years.
“We operate on a limited budget, primarily a grant from the state of Wisconsin, and when costs increase, we must make cuts accordingly to stay within our means," she said in a press release. "Our call tracking shows fewer calls coming from areas where we had to make advertising cuts.”
The council also receives funding from donors, including American Indian tribes that operate casinos in Wisconsin.
Another trend, Gruber said, is an increasing number of Helpline calls from people with what she described as “serious debt problems."
The average debt of callers willing to share that information was $42,918 in 2006, up from $39,063 the previous year, the council reported. It also estimates 5 to 7 percent of Wisconsin’s population (268,000 to 375,000 residents) are problem or compulsive gamblers.
“Everyone who contacts us is provided information on treatment providers and Gamblers Anonymous chapters in their area of the state," Cheri Braley, the council's Helpline and training coordinator, said in the press release.
Still another trend, Gruber said, is an increase in the number of Helpline calls from people "who mention thoughts of suicide." Any such caller is immediately connected to an emergency crisis program in their area of the state.
The council also distributes informational brochures, organizes an annual statewide conference, makes presentations on problem gambling and conducts training sessions for treatment providers who work with compulsive gamblers and their families. |
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