Posted by: Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling on June 30, 2014, 9:24 pm

According to the 2012 Census Data, Florida has a 23.2% Latino/Hispanic population, which is far above the national average of 16.9%. Knowing these facts, the FCCG has made efforts through the years to reach out to Latino/Hispanics to ensure that this population is properly represented in all forms of prevention programs, self-help materials, and educational information. Programs such as Las Caras del Problema de Juego, which is a series of vignettes designed to educate Latino/Hispanics about the dangers of problem gambling, or the Spanish self-help workbooks Chance for Change are just two of the components in the FCCG’s vast inventory that are designed to assist this ethnic group. A multitude of Spanish placards and brochures are available to the public as well. In addition, the FCCG also has bi-lingual staff that handle Spanish HelpLine and peer connect calls. The FCCG also utilizes an advertising campaign in the areas of the state where there is a significant percentage of Latino/Hispanics (i.e. Miami-Dade County).

In fiscal year 2013/2014, 22.4% of the HelpLine contacts were from Latino/Hispanics. This tells the FCCG that their efforts are making a tremendous impact on this population. (see below for more stats)

• 73% claimed family conflict due to gambling
• 26% cited suicidal ideations due to gambling
• 20% had committed illegal acts
• 78% stated they were depressed due to gambling
• 66% preferred slots over other gambling games
• 57% had pawned or sold assets in order to finance their gambling