Gambling addiction groups wary

Gambling addiction groups wary of new Jacksonville poker room
A Florida gambling addicts group cites card games as a frequent cause of financial problems.

By Adam Kealoha Causey The Florida Times-Union

A new Jacksonville poker room may seem a sure bet for the owners’ pocketbooks, but gambling addiction support groups and community leaders say BestBet Jacksonville could be a bad deal for card players.

Florida gambling addicts cite card games as the second most frequent cause of their financial woes, according to the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling. Slot machines rank No. 1.

Television should take part of the blame, said Brian Kongsvik, who runs the Florida council’s help line. A nearly constant offering of blackjack and Texas Hold ’em shows glamorizes poker.

“At any given time of the day or night you can turn on one of the sports channels and there’s going to be a tournament on,” Kongsvik said.

Removing state-mandated limits also added to the allure, Kongsvik said. It paved the way for bigger winnings, which has drawn bigger advertising campaigns.

Sal, a 74-year-old recovering addict who counsels others through Gamblers Anonymous, said he’s noticed more complaints about poker as dog and horse tracks added card rooms. He asked that his last name not be published to keep with Florida Gamblers Anonymous rules.

Gamblers Anonymous doesn’t push to close gambling establishments. But having more options to bet only increases changes to slip into addiction, Sal said.

In his view, it’s not poker itself that hooks potential addicts. It’s availability. Another 70 tables at BestBet on Monument Road fits the description.

“We gamble to gamble,” said Sal, who quit 27 years ago after running up $50,000 in debt. “It does not make a difference to us compulsive gamblers. “

The Washington-based National Council on Problem Gambling, affiliated with the Florida council, views card games as a particular concern for addicts.

Because poker requires a level of skill, according to national council President Keith Whyte, it pushes gamblers to be persistent.

“It can encourage them to stay at the table to beg, borrow or steal enough money to chase that loss,” Whyte said. “Some of the behaviors we see among problem gamblers can be magnified at the poker table.”

Whyte’s organization advocates for responsibility from government and business. He hopes Florida will require poker rooms to contribute more profit to addiction treatment.

“It’s sort of like alcohol. There’s a known percentage of people that will develop problems,” Wyte said. “Those problems will be costly.”

Jacksonville Greyound Racing, which owns BestBet, the Orange Park Kennel Club and the St. Johns Greyhound Park, doesn’t voluntarily give money to the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling, Kongsvik said.

A spokeswoman for the company would not offer specifics on how much the company spends to prevent addictive behavior. But its staff watches patron spending and will work with family members of gamblers to direct their loved ones toward treatment.

The poker room at the Orange Park Kennel Club hasn’t led to an increase in violent crime, according to town Police Chief James Boivin. But one thing he’s noticed there: counterfeit bills.

Boivin partly blames the sluggish economy. His department also has picked up fake cash from fast-food restaurants.

“People are making funny money and trying to pass it wherever they can,” Boivin said. “Wherever you can get money exchanged real fast, that sometimes happens.”

Anything potentially addictive concerns Jim Kilpatrick, executive director of Jacksonville’s Trinity Rescue Mission. The ministry doesn’t track gambling among the people in its shelter, but it notes the effects of it and other addictions.

“We have seen the impact on women and children who have been left homeless because of the effects of financial mismanagement because of addiction in their households,” Kilpatrick said. “We are focused on helping others overcome addictions and we believe our community would be best served by tackling these tough problems instead of potentially reinforcing them.”



Dark side

A 2010-11 survey ranked card games as the second most prevalent cause of Florida gambling problems behind slot machines. Other finds among those who cited poker and other card games were a problem:

- 89 percent were male, 11 percent were female.

- 57 percent were white, 19 percent were black, 15 percent were Hispanic.

- 60 percent held full-time jobs, 25 percent were unemployed or on disability.

- 70 percent said they had problems paying household bills, 51 gambled away savings or retirement money, 40 percent sold or pawned belongings for gambling money.

- 34 percent did something illegal to finance their gambling.

Source: Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling


Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2012-02-28/story/gambling-addiction-groups-wary-new-jacksonville-poker-room#ixzz1nm47K6pG