Gambling's Dirty Little Secret: SUICIDE

Man who drowned in Regina was a gambling addict: daughter
By Ashley Martin, Leader-Post


REGINA -- Joe Nemeth had racked up about $21,000 in cash advances. He couldn’t pay July’s rent, had long ago sold his house and vehicles, and had lost ‘a lot’ of money at Casino Regina on the weekend.

Come Monday morning, July 4, 77-year-old Nemeth was found floating in Wascana Lake, the focal point of the park he so loved.

“I’m thinking he was just thinking it was the end of it all, and ‘how do I get out of this?’ And of course the easy way out ...,” said Mary Marton, who wants her father’s death to serve as a wakeup call to problem gamblers.

Nemeth’s gambling problem came as a surprise to Marton, who lives in Calgary and only learned of it as she went through Nemeth’s things after his death.

“I kind of suspected because he was phoning saying he didn’t have money for this and didn’t have money for that, and then after he passed away people started coming up to me saying, ‘Oh geez, I lent Joe money and he never paid me back,’” she said.

Marton had known Nemeth for 18 years — she learned at age 30 that he was her father. She said he was always kind and considerate to everyone he knew.

“He had lots of friends. He was always going for coffee and stuff. He hung out with a lot of people. Even on July 1, he was at the park for Canada Day. He loved that park. He used to walk that park every day, whether it was minus 30 or plus 30,” said Marton. Nemeth was in good shape — he had beaten cancer and had a healthy heart.

“I’m just wondering if he would have talked about it, maybe it would have helped him, but then at that age group (people think) it’s embarrassing,” said Marton.

Ken Akan, Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region addictions treatment program manager, said gambling spans all age groups.

“The reality is, probably about 80 to 85 per cent of the Saskatchewan population gambles — that doesn’t mean 85 per cent has a problem,” said Akan.

At Casino Regina, an average of 7,300 people pass through the doors daily. At Casino Moose Jaw, that number is 2,000.

“People gamble for many different reasons — there’s the excitement, the adrenalin rush, and then there’s the escape, and boredom,” said Akan. The latter two are common reasons for seniors and retired people, he said.

Nemeth spent a lot of time at Casino Regina and, said Marton, “I know that there’s all these seniors going there because they take that as their entertainment, their socializing, free coffee.”

Jan Carter, spokeswoman for SaskGaming, which runs Casinos Regina and Moose Jaw, said the casinos promote responsible gaming and train all of their employees to recognize problem gambling tendencies.

“Somebody who looks very stressed, who’s constantly going to the instant teller, somebody who’s hitting the machine or pacing in front of a machine” might be an addict, said Carter.

Last year, staff at the two casinos intervened 8,300 times with these types of people.

Compulsive gamblers can take an extended break through Casino Regina’s self-exclusion program. At any given time, 300 to 500 people are enrolled.

Identifying a gambling problem is tricky, said Akan, because there are no physical symptoms like there are in alcohol or drug addictions.

“With gambling, you can’t OD from gambling, so there’s no physical effects, there’s no visual effects,” he said.

Akan said some tells are utility disconnection notices, phone calls from creditors, being discrete about whereabouts and missing important family events.

Unlike substance addicts, pathological gamblers often seek help in “crisis mode,” said Akan.

“Their gambling behaviour is creating crisis in their life and usually it’s financial crisis — they’ve spent their savings, they spent their rent money, they’re getting kicked out or getting evicted ... Usually they recognize, ‘Oh I’ve created a mess for myself, I need to get help,’” he said.

The health regions offer counselling, education and support groups for gambling addicts.

Each month, there is a one-week outpatient treatment program at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre focusing on education and tools to prevent gambling, like busting the myth that a machine is “due to pay out,” said Akan.

Four times a year, there is another program that talks about grief and loss — things that might drive people to gamble.