Gambling Addicts' Profile

Fitting The Profile

The Problem Gambler's Help Network of West Virginia releases surprising findings as to who is most in need of help for a gambling addiction.

"A married, middle-aged woman, working fulltime in the health care , social work or gaming industry. This is a common profile of a problem gambler in West Virginia. She may be dealing with stressors like "empty nest syndrome" or death of a loved one. She gambles at neighborhood slot machines. Her gambling debts range between $5,000 to $25,000 and her money problems cause her to (1) borrow money from other people, (2) neglect her bills, and (3) spend all her income at the slots."

The profile is developed from looking at data over the past nine years in West Virginia.

"We hear from ladies who say, 'When I'm out there, I don't have to deal with the stress that's going on at home, I don't have to deal with the stress going on at work,'" said Steve Burton of the Problem Gamblers Help Network of West Virginia.

"We forget that our females today are taking care of an employee, they're taking care of home matters, they're taking care of children. What gambling is offering them is an escape from all of those stressors."

Burton is quick to caution, however, that the women identified in the profile are by no means the only ones suffering from gambling addictions. He says a man in his 20s is just as likely to get hooked and disintegrate into a cycle of self destruction."

The Network has more than 100 counselors in all parts of the state. When somebody calls the help line , 1-800-GAMBLER, they can pair them with a counselor in any part of the state almost immediately.

The biggest problem, aside from readily available and legalized gaming, is that it's not a widely recognized problem.

"Think back to your high school days," said Burton. "We all had classes with regard to alcohol and drugs. How many of us had a class with problem gambling? It's generally not something your average lay person would know about."