Missouri casinos still off-limits to addicts
By Virginia Young
POST-DISPATCH JEFFERSON CITY BUREAU CHIEF
08/24/2006
MARYLAND HEIGHTS
Thousands of gambling addicts who have permanently banned themselves from Missouri's casinos won't get a chance to reconsider - at least not yet.
On Wednesday, the Missouri Gaming Commission rejected a plan that would have let problem gamblers remove their names from the banned list after two years. Though the vote was 2-1 in favor of the change, it failed because three votes were needed. The commission has two vacancies.
Chairman Noel Shull, who cast the negative vote, said more study was needed on whether two years is long enough for a cooling-off period. He said a three- or five-year ban might work better.
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More than 10,500 people - about 145 a month - on the list agree to stay away from the state's casinos forever. If caught placing a bet, they face trespassing charges.
Melissa Stephens, the state's director of problem gambling programs, told the commission that making the ban flexible would help gamblers whose betting gets out of control only during high-stress times, such as loss of a loved one.
They might balk at quitting gambling forever but would welcome a "baby step," Stephens said. "It is this group we are primarily targeting with these changes."
While gambling addiction has generally been considered a lifelong disorder, Stephens said there is now a "wealth of research" that shows that many gamblers can develop coping strategies.
She said she had even talked to Canadian researcher Robert Ladouceur, of the Centre of Excellence for the Prevention and Treatment of Problem Gambling, who recently recommended two-year bans.
Under the proposal that the commission rejected, gamblers could have petitioned for removal from the list after two years. To be eligible, they could have accumulated no trespassing convictions for entering casinos during the banned time.
They would have been required to undergo an assessment with a certified compulsive gambling counselor and complete a state-approved course on "healthy lifestyle choices."
Missouri was the first state to set up a self-banning program, in 1996. Illinois followed suit in 2002. So far, 3,848 gamblers - including 876 from Missouri - have signed up in Illinois. That state is developing procedures that will allow people to petition to get off the list after five years. The earliest people can apply for removal will be in July. |
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