July 2017: Volume 77
another remarkable year for the florida council on compulsive gambling!
Since
1988, the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling (FCCG) has been helping
Floridians who have been affected by problem gambling. The month of July starts a new fiscal year
for the FCCG. However before we focus
our attention on the future, we would like to share some of the findings based
on data collected throughout the year to continue to bring awareness to this
hidden addiction.
WHAT DID PROBLEM GAMBLING LOOK LIKE THIS
YEAR?
During
the 2016-2017 fiscal year, the FCCG received over 5,700 contacts from individuals seeking help or information
on problem gambling. The FCCG received calls from 58 different counties in the state of Florida. These calls
were either made to the 1-888-ADMIT-IT
Helpline or through one of our other contact methods, such as text, chat, or
email. The FCCG has HelpLine Specialists
available 24 hours a day no matter which way someone reaches out for
assistance. The majority of help contacts were made by the gambler (78%).
Also, the primary precipitating event for reaching out to the FCCG
for assistance was relationship
problems as stated by 29%.
The
game of choice for most gamblers was slots
at 44%, followed by cards (30%),
and lottery games (13%). Although the 1-888-ADMIT
IT
HelpLine is available to the entire state of Florida,
the majority of calls came from Miami-Dade
County at 22%. Other counties where a significant amount of contacts
originated were Broward (19%), Orange
(10%), and Palm Beach (8%).
Comorbidity
is common for those with a gambling problem.
Those contacting the 1-888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine reported feelings of Anxiety (77%), Depression (68%), and Suicidal Ideation (28%). Other negative social/domestic
impacts included Family Conflict (78%),
Family Neglect (74%), and Family
Violence (5%).
Another
startling figure is that 42% of
gamblers reported committing illegal acts in order to finance their
addiction. The most common act committed
was fraud, such as bad checks or forgery.
As
expected the financial consequences of problem gambling are huge. The average
lifetime loses for gamblers was reported to be $133,889, with the average debt to be $45,574. This is despite 48% of the gamblers making less than $45,000 per year.