The Nebraska Gamblers Assistance Program (GAP) treats between 200 to 300 people with problem gambling a year.
There are no slot machines in Nebraska, nor land based or riverboat casinos, as are offered in neighboring states. Slots are considered the most addictive form of gambling. However, the state allocates 1 percent from the proceeds, plus the first $500,000 collected from the state lottery, which has operated since 1993.
This supports a 24-hour hotline in addition to individual and group counseling. GAP’s funding is the only such program written into a state constitution.
GAP Director David Geier told the Omaha World Herald, “Nebraska is home to approximately 2,200 so-called mechanical amusement devices (MAD) that look and act like slot machines.” He added, “That’s a 50 percent increase over last year. Addicts to these MADs are showing up at our counselors’ doors, and they are younger than our traditional clients.” He added that a lot of GAP’s clients gamble in other states.
He concluded, “If you look for gambling trouble from lottery, it’s way down the line because less gambling problems happen if a person has to wait for results. That’s why we see more gambling addiction from electronic gambling machines because people stay on them until they run out of money. They are not playing to win; they are playing to play.”
