- The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is running its annual Problem Gambling Awareness Week, and extending it for the whole of March.
- The campaign aims to educate and inform health care professionals and the public about the warning signs of problem gambling.
The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is running its annual Problem Gambling campaign during the month of March.
The campaign traditionally runs during the first week of March to remind the public of the dangers of gambling prior to the NCAA basketball tournament. The three week period in which the tournament runs is commonly known as March Madness and is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year for gambling. This year organizers have extended the campaign to run during the entire month of March.
The campaign aims to educate and inform healthcare professionals and the public about the warning signs of problem gambling and to “raise awareness about the help that is available both locally and nationally.”
Events highlighted for this year include a four part webinar on problem gambling, a Gambling Disorder Screening Day provided by the Division on Addiction at the Cambridge Health Alliance, and the Rhode Island Council on Problem Gambling will be hosting a Governor’s Proclamation event.
Keith Whyte, Executive Director of the National Council on Problem Gambling set out the main issue. “A problem gambler loses control and cannot stick to limits, even when gambling is causing serious financial, family, work or other problems.”
Jeffrey Beck, Assistant Director for Clinical Services, Treatment & Research for the New Jersey Council on Compulsive Gambling, points out that “gambling is an addiction, but it is a treatable addiction. There are multiple resources across the country to provide support to gamblers and their families.”
The list of organizational members providing support includes bwin.party, GTECH, Las Vegas Sands Corporation, the National Football League, The Rational Group – PokerStars, Caesars and the Casino City Press.
The Chairman of the UK Gambling Commission, Philip Graf, gave a speech in November last year in which he exhorted gaming companies to take responsibility for the poor public image of gambling and gambling operators. Getting involved in this type of event is exactly the kind of action he was advocating.
