"Take a Break from Gambling Day"

THIS IS A REMINDER....

The first nationwide "Take a Break from Gambling Day" is Thursday, Sept. 29.

The event has grown out of the work of SPG members Ronda Hatefi and Oregonians for Problem Gambling Awareness. Ronda's brother Bobby Hafemann took his life because he became addicted to electronic gambling machines pushed by his own state government.

What "Take a Break from Gambling Day" is:

1) Any store, restaurant or casino operator across the US that sells lottery tickets or offers electronic gambling machines is invited to stop doing it for this one day on Sept. 29th. Turn off the gambling machines just for one day. Stop selling scratch tickets for one day.

2) Any citizen who gambles is invited to stop gambling for one day on Sept. 29th. If you have a loved one or a good friend who is an active gambler, urge them to participate and be their sponsor for Sept. 29th. As a sponsor, your role is to help the person stay away from gambling, be supportive and help them pursue other activities.

"Take a Break from Gambling Day" has two purposes:

- The first is to offer an opportunity for gambling operators to acknowledge they have a duty of care to citizens. 

- The second is to offer family members and friends a way to start a conversation about gambling with the people they love.

The effort echoes The Great American Smokeout by the American Cancer Society which was effective in awakening the public conscience about the severe impact that smoking has on people's lives.

How you can help: Share this Facebook post about the day right now with your social network and if you have a Twitter account, retweet this tweet to your followers.

If you believe what we believe in, please support our work by contributing $10 or more today to help sustain it.

Thank you.

Best,

Les Bernal
National Director
Stop Predatory Gambling

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Improving the lives of the American people, using education and advocacy to free us of the dishonesty, exploitation, addiction and lower standard of living that commercial gambling spreads.