With their nifty yellow and red exterior, helpless Video Lottery Terminal drones can locate their next fix easily at a distance ~
Posted on 01/02/2005 12:21:47 PM PST by Company Man
The number of crisis calls to a state hotline for problem gamblers soared by a startling 45% in New York City in 2004, the Daily News has learned. The jump in calls from the boroughs was even higher than the statewide increase of 30% - with Brooklyn logging more calls than any other county in the state, according to the New York Council on Problem Gambling, which maintains the hotline.
Treatment experts said the problem is on track to get even worse as the state pushes to open more gambling halls and casinos.
"What this shows is that the people aren't getting the information they need until it's too late," said James Maney, executive director of council.
The nonprofit agency gets $243,000 a year in state funds to deal with compulsive betting problems that are worsening, with gambling poised to become a $3 billion annual industry in New York.
All told, the state doles out $2.3 million to fight problem gambling, while spending $70 million to promote the state lottery - just one form of gambling.
"The biggest problem we see is from the video lottery terminals," Maney said. "Those create the fastest form of addiction, and that's what we're worried about right now."
Meanwhile, Gov. Pataki, who is facing a $6 billion state budget gap, wants to sanction five Indian-run casinos for the Catskills, after first proposing three in 2001.
It all has Maney worrying about how the state will address the needs of problem gamblers.
He said this year calls were up 117% in Staten Island, 60% in Queens, 56% in Queens, 39% in the Bronx and 20% in Brooklyn where 344 calls were made.
"The biggest failure we have here is we don't have any education or prevention," Maney said. "If they're going to keep expanding this, we should be helping the folks who need the help."
A spokeswoman for Pataki had no immediate comment on the issue.
Those who call the state hotline usually get the number from the backs of losing pari-mutuel tickets or from labels pasted on the sides of VLT machines.
The hotline number, (800) 437-1611, is answered around the clock.
Well, they can't smoke in the bars or OTB halls any more - so they need something to do..........
Gambling amounts to a tax on those who can afford it the least. Poor people who think they have a great chance of winning large amounts of money!
What do you expect from government sanctioned gambling? They consider problem gamblers minor fallout from their glee at spending gamblers money.
Smoking bad!
Gambling good!
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