Gambling addiction on rise in South Florida, state council finds
Florida council warns about dangers of addiction
Source: Nick Sortal; South Florida Sun-Sentinel, July 30, 2008.

Her husband had just died, and the 64-year-old woman was bored. So she hit the casino.

She gambled away her Social Security money, her 401(k) investment and then mortgaged her house, according to Mitch Wallick, director of an addiction rehab center in West Palm Beach.

"She was depressed and it was a place to escape," Wallick said.

The woman is among the dozens he's seen this year, and they back up a report by the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling: Gambling addiction is rising in South Florida.

It's far from an epidemic, but calls for help, information or resources to the statewide center rose 12 percent this year, with a 45 percent increase in South Florida.

The reasons? More slots in Broward County and the expansion of poker betting limits statewide, according to the council's Pat Fowler.

"If you're within 50 miles of a casino, the incidence of problem gambling is going to be higher," Fowler said. "That's just the way it works."

The 4,208 calls represent less than 0.044 percent — one out of every 2,000 — of the state's gamblers. About 9 million Floridians played the lottery this year, and an estimated 4 million visited a casino, horse track, dog track or jai-alai fronton, according to the American Gaming Association.

The greatest increase in calls came from people who visit South Florida casinos, Fowler said. The center refers gamblers to treatment sources, and has a neutral stance on legalized gambling. The numbers cover the first full year of slots at three pari-mutuel sites in Broward County, although slots have been available at three Seminole casinos for years.

Wallick, director of the private Comprehensive Addiction Rehabilitation Center, said he now treats more casino players, while he used to see sports gamblers.

"The worst is young men who watch poker on TV," he said. "They're all convinced they're going to be poker pros, so they skip college and come here $50,000 in debt."

The state approved tournaments as high as $800 last year, up from $45. That led to more calls, about 20 percent of which were from men younger than 25, Fowler said.

"It all fits," she said. "They lose higher amounts and they get deeper in debt."

Adds 2007 World Series of Poker champion Jerry Yang: "You see poker players without patience, and it gets them in trouble. Poker is a skill you build over time."

The gambling council directs problem gamblers to support agencies, but has no funding to treat them, Fowler said. The council, formed 20 years ago, contracts with the state and is funded by $1.3 million from the Florida lottery; a $250,000 licensing fee from the three Broward pari-mutuels; and a $100,000 contribution from the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

The rush usually starts with a win, said Arnie Wexler, who runs a national compulsive gambling hot line. A poker player will hit a straight on the final card, or a $1 slot pull will yield a hundred times as much. Then gamblers chase that winning rush too far, and bet away paychecks, he said. Then take out loans to try to get all their money back.

"Every single gambler that I've ever met had had a big win," said Wexler, a part-time Pompano Beach resident. "My first big win was $54 at the track in 1951 when I was making 50 cents an hour. I thought, 'What an easy way to make money.'"

Mardi Gras Racetrack and Gaming Center's Dan Adkins said the numbers may not indicate an increase in problem gambling as much as rising awareness of the hot line. Casinos post the 1-888-ADMIT-IT number on their doors and in advertisements.

"We work closely with Pat Fowler and her group," Adkins said. "The casinos are doing a good job getting that phone number out there."