Louisiana Gaming Board Chairman Ronnie Johns said so far this year, sports betting has raked in $1.5 billion. However, he said, state officials anticipated the issue of problem gambling when sports betting was legalized.
Matricia Green, a licensed addiction and certified compulsive gambling counselor, said, “Right now, it’s the hype. They’re getting them in and baiting them in. It’s the hype, but when it’s gone, watch what happens.”
Green said she and other advocates are preparing for what’s ahead. She stated, “They are pulling these programs together because they know this is coming. When you are dealing with a compulsive gambler, and if you don’t know how, you’re going to have a problem.”
Green said the Louisiana Department of Health uses $2.5 million a year from the Compulsive and Problem Gaming Fund to finance a variety of gambling addiction treatment services across the state, free of charge to state residents.
Robert Henson, program manager at the Louisiana Office of Behavioral Health, said, “It’s hard to create the awareness until there is a problem. We have the infrastructure in place, we’re ready, it’s just to get the word out to Louisiana residents that these services are available.”
Up to 280,000 Louisiana adults may be involved in problem gambling, according to a 2016 Office of Behavioral Health report. The office operates a problem gambling helpline at 877-770-STOP.
