Maine Gears up for More Gambling Addicts

Maine Gears up for More Gambling Addicts

With two casinos expected to be operating in Maine next year, the state's Office of Substance Abuse is getting ready to expand services for problem gamblers.


With two casinos expected to be operating in Maine next year, the state Office of Substance Abuse is bolstering its problem gambling efforts.

Substance Abuse Treatment Specialist Christine Theriault told the state's Gambling Control Board that her office expects the number of Mainers with problem gambling to increase as the state goes from one slot machine facility to two full casinos, Capitol News Service reports.

Theriault says the staff is gearing up to provide services for problem gamblers. "We created the Megan Network, which is basically a network of providers that were specially trained in treating individuals who had come to them with a gambling addiction," she said.

Studies show that 80 percent of Americans have gambled at some time, but fewer than one percent of those who gamble are considered addicts. [Wonder where they got this bogus number?]