The Hidden Human Toll of Problem Gambling

Gambling is taking a severe toll on Iowans’ lives — playing a part in bankruptcies, foreclosures and suicides.

With 17 licensed casinos across the state, almost 7 million Iowans gamble every year — and thousands of them report problems.

In February, the most recent data available, 695 people called the the state’s gambling hot line, I-800-Bets-Off (1-800-238-7633). The majority inquired about treatment for themselves or loved ones, the data show. Nearly 7,400 people called the hot line in 2007. The expansion of Iowa’s billion-dollar gambling industry is on hold for now, thanks to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, which voted last month not to approve new casino licenses.

But many Iowans remain oblivious to the negative effects that gambling can have on individuals and their families, counselors warn.

“People really aren’t aware of the issues,” said Jill Jordahl-Ball, clinical coordinator at Problem Gambling Services in Des Moines. “Iowa has some pretty high statistics for issues of gambling.” 

Nearly 200 people will seek treatment services this year through the program, she said. Overall in 2007, 527 Iowans received gambling treatment services, according to state data provided by Jordahl-Ball. Slightly more men than women received treatment. Fifty percent, or 287 people, reported gambling debts of $5,000 or more. About 15 percent, or 77 people, were arrested because of gambling. The majority of people reported playing slot machines, followed by table games.

More than 2,400 people have voluntarily agreed to ban themselves from gambling venues, according to the Gaming Commission report. Gamblers on the list forfeited winnings of more than $500,000 to the Iowa Gambling Treatment fund. The Iowa Legislature this year considered allowing people to revoke the self-ban after certain criteria were met, but the proposal was defeated.

“Gambling addiction is devastating,” said Kim Rezarch, a counselor at Problem Gambling Services.  “People don’t understand it and what it does to people and families.”

“[Gambling is] a form of entertainment for a lot of people,” she went on. “For the majority of people, it’s fun. It’s a place to go. You lose $50 and you walk out,” Rezarch said. “For the people who are addicted, it’s devastating. It’s not just, `Well, I wish I could stop.’ It’s all-consuming.

“It’s as much of an addiction as cocaine, heroin or anything else,” Rezarch said. “Research shows it has the same chemical impact on the brain as a cocaine addict. It sends the same signals to the brain. I’ve worked in substance-abuse treatment for 10 years and this is much more devastating.”

In just six months working with problem gamblers, Rezarch has heard it all. One client lost $1 million at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino. Some clients face prison sentences for embezzling money from their employers in order to gamble. One stole money from a church. Others lost businesses and homes. Some ban themselves from the casino for life, but sneak back inside, risking criminal charges.

“How do I get my mother out of the casino?” one person asked. “She’s been there for two days.”

People tend to underestimate the effects of problem gambling and aren’t aware of the different factors pointing to a problem. The warning signs include a preoccupation with gambling, using gambling as an escape, trying to win back money that was lost gambling, loss of interest in other activities, lying about wins and losses and betting until the last dollar is spent, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. 

“People might have an idea that they’re gambling, but they have no idea that they’re leaving work to go [gamble],” Rezarch said, “that they’re pretending [to their families] to be at their friend’s house but they’re really going to Prairie Meadows. It’s very secretive because the debt — the finances are what’s at stake — so they’re not going to tell their spouse.”

Spouses of problem gamblers can sometimes get hit with a bombshell.

“I have a client who called his spouse and said, ‘By the way, the bank is coming to foreclose on our house in a half an hour. I lost everything gambling and we’ve got to move,’” Rezarch
said.

Casinos, with the bright lights, dinging machines and people meandering about, can be very seductive, Rezarch said, and it fills a void for a wide variety of people.

“The thing about gambling and alcoholism is that your body quits after awhile. You can only drink so much and then you pass out,” she said. “People gamble for 30 years, and it becomes so much a part of everything they are, that it’s their identity.”

Not all Iowa communities, however, are gung-ho about gambling. Just this week, 62 percent of Jasper County residents voted against bringing a casino to the Newton area.

Hope Through Treatment

Problem Gambling Services is a part of a non-profit organization called Mid-Eastern Council on Chemical Abuse or MECCA, which also offers community-based substance abuse and behavioral health services. The organization has a facility on the east side of Des Moines. A second location opened last November on the city’s northwest side to serve west-side and suburban clients. MECCA is working with nine Iowa counties and received a grant from the Iowa Department of Public Health to offer the services. Counselors also work with the state hot line.

The problem gambling program offers the first four hour-long sessions for free. There is also individual and group counseling. Other services include financial counseling and transitional housing for gamblers who have lost their homes or whose home environment is not conducive to helping them recover. Fees are based on a sliding scale, with gambling debts taken into consideration.

“Our counselors really meet the person where they’re at,” said Jordahl-Ball. “If someone calls into 1-800-Bets-Off just with a couple questions, that’s OK. They’re not forcing treatment. They’re not judged by any means. They’re met where they’re at, at that moment. We work with them to get them where they need to be.”

The number of gambling assessments and evaluations Rezarch does is on the rise, she said. During an evaluation, she and clients talk about what brought the person to the facility and what kind of gambling they engage in.

“With the background they tell me, I can pick up a few things of what kind of gambler they are. . .There’s a variety,” she said. “You can kind of tell the difference between someone who plays slots for three days straight to someone who goes and won’t leave a poker table.”

Clients then complete a Gambler’s Anonymous questionnaire and another screening tool. Rezarch explains the results to them. “You meet the criteria of pathological or addicted gambler based on what you reported,” she said. Then she tells them what it means.

“It’s usually something that they already know,” she said. “For people who don’t really think they have a problem, or usually it’s that they think they can control it, it might open their eyes a little bit.”

She also talks to them about treatment options, and depending on what their emotional state is, she conducts a mental health assessment.

Some people try to manage themselves via the state’s lifetime self-ban program. The self-ban works for some, but not others, Rezarch said. She has clients who haven’t gambled in more than five years who didn’t place themselves on the list. One client who self-banned was arrested once but has returned to Prairie Meadows about 20 times, she said.

“If you are absolutely ready to start working on your recovery and you think banning is going to be the first step in that, then I encourage it 100 percent,” she said.

But she doesn’t tout it for people who have any doubts about it.

“I don’t encourage them to get banned because in reality they’re going to the casino, and if they’re caught, it’s criminal charges on top of whatever else they’re dealing with,” she said.

That’s why Jordahl-Ball and Rezarch agree increasing awareness about gambling problems and emphasizing prevention are key.

Iowans need to start looking at their own behaviors and the behaviors of others in their lives — how much time is spent gambling and if the amount of time spent on gambling seems “normal,” Rezarch said.

“If my husband is going out to the casino four times a week, that’s probably not a good idea,” she said.

People also need to be aware of family finances.

“Generally what brings people here is debt,” Rezarch said. “They have lost something, and they’re about to get in big trouble financially. And they’ve had to come clean to their spouse. “

Jordahl-Ball said they want to help more clients before they hit bottom. She said counselors will give presentations to any company, agency, school or organization and do a one-minute to three-hour presentation about the warning signs and prevalence of gambling problems in Iowa.

“It is an issue that we need to be aware of,” she said.

Increasing awareness about the problem ultimately could lead more people to seek treatment before their lives are in shambles.

“With any addiction, if you work out all your issues, you can overcome it,” Rezarch said.