The New Jersey Casino Control Commission and the he Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey have designated March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month in the state and urged those facing gambling addiction to seek help through the state’s and council’s resources.
Officials hope to raise awareness of problem gambling.
“One of the unintended side effects of gambling is pathological or compulsive gambling. All of us who make our livings from the existence of gambling here have to be concerned about people who cannot gamble responsibly,” Commission Chairman Matthew Levinson said at a recent CCC meeting.
The council—which runs the state’s gambling addiction hotline and other programs for problem gamblers—sponsors Problem Gambling Awareness Month each year.
“What we want people to remember is that there is hope. There is help,” said Donald Weinbaum, executive director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling. “March is a great time to talk about the invisible addiction, to focus a lens on it and bring the discussion into public attention.”
