SHINE THE LIGHT ON PROBLEM GAMBLING:
When Gambling is No Longer a Game…Losing is NOT an Option!
Problem gambling is known as the hidden addiction. Unlike other addictions, problem gamblers do not display physical signs. There are no “card marks” on their arms, no “roulette breath,” no “dice eyes,” and no saturation point. While visible symptoms are minimal, problem gamblers are often depressed, anxious, and may have suicidal thoughts. They often neglect family and friends, run up large amounts of debt, and may be involved in illegal activity in order to fund their addiction. Gambling addiction is a diagnosable and treatable mental health disorder. Help and hope are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through the 24/7, Confidential, and Multilingual 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine.
CONTACT THE HELPLINESELF-ASSESSMENT QUIZMarch is Problem Gambling Awareness Month
Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM) in a national grassroots advocacy campaign that occurs each year in March, and provides the opportunity for heightened problem gambling awareness throughout the country. FCCG leads the PGAM campaign in Florida each year, bringing together voices from across the community to highlight the impacts of problem gambling as well as the confidential help and hope available 24/7 through the 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine.
RAISE AWARENESS
By becoming educated about problem gambling you can help the FCCG raise awareness and bring this public health issue to light. Understand it, recognize it, and understand that this is a treatable problem.
STAND WITH US
As gambling continues to be more accessible, the FCCG needs your continued support in order for us to assist those who reach out for help. Contact us for FREE educational and training opportunities and become a responsible gaming advocate.
BECOME A PGAM PARTNERREMOVE THE STIGMA
Often, people who are suffering with a gambling problem are reluctant to reach out for help. The FCCG helps thousands each year through its 24/7, Confidential, and Multilingual HelpLine, 888-ADMIT-IT. You can help us end the stigma!
We Have a Winner: Take the Plunge Challenge for Problem Gambling Awareness Month
The FCCG wants to congratulate Melissa Brooks, Risk and Communications Manager for Calder Casino, who “took the plunge” by creatively outlining how storytelling could promote problem gambling and responsible gambling awareness among employees, patrons, and beyond!
Melissa enjoyed playing Mad Libs® when she was young, a popular fill-in-the-blanks word game where one player prompts others for a list of words to substitute for blanks in a story, and reflected on the educational value of this game. She envisioned how the game could help gambling industry employees learn about problem gambling in an engaging way. To bring Melissa’s concept to life, the FCCG is introducing 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLibs, featuring facts about problem gambling and the 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine – check back soon to learn more!
Get Connected to Help and Hope
There are more ways than ever to get connected with the 24/7 Problem Gambling HelpLine. Call or text 888-ADMIT-IT (236-4848), open a live chat on this website, email us at fccg@gamblinghelp.org, download the free mobile app, or connect with us on social media, such as Facebook and Twitter.
Problem gambling is an addiction like no other.
A gambling addiction can be devastating. This disease affects a person’s self-worth, their relationships with others, their financial livelihood – and while everyone’s story is unique, there is a common thread that links those who contact the 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine. They are looking for a way to get their lives back on track. For over 30 years, the FCCG has been instilling hope and furnishing help to those affected by problem gambling.
The 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine can be accessed by calling or texting the widely publicized toll-free telephone HelpLine number (888-ADMIT-IT), through Live Chat on the agency’s website (gamblinghelp.org), by email (fccg@gamblinghelp.org), with the 888-ADMIT-IT mobile app, or by connecting with the FCCG on Facebook and Twitter.
Facts About Problem Gambling
For most, gambling is a form of recreation that doesn’t cause harm. But when gambling becomes a problem, the impacts can be devastating. How big of an issue is gambling addiction in Florida, and who is affected?
2021-2022 Annual HelpLine Report: Highlights
Contacts made to the FCCG’s 888-ADMIT-IT Problem Gambling HelpLine during the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year continue to provide evidence that Floridians suffering from the negative effects of a gambling problem are in dire need of immediate supports. This video covers the most notable findings in the 2021-2022 Annual HelpLine data analysis.
We are the FCCG.
We are 888-ADMIT-IT.
Thousands of people contact the 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine each year for help and information, and millions more have been exposed to the number and the services and resources the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling (FCCG) provides to Floridians suffering from the impacts of problem gambling.
As the 24/7, Confidential, and Multilingual Problem Gambling HelpLine for the entire state, 888-ADMIT-IT is the gateway to a series of free services which are not available anywhere in Florida, online, or elsewhere. Help seekers receive timely and updated resources as well as up-to-the-minute problem-gambling-related news, research, and information, along with FCCG’s tailored programs and services, available for both gamblers and their loved ones.
888-ADMIT-IT is the Only Problem Gambling HelpLine Dedicated to Serving Floridians
The 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine is an ever-evolving resource for Floridians. The FCCG is committed to personalized service and prides itself on the relationships built during HelpLine contacts, which are often a one-time opportunity to motivate behavioral change, and to share a message of hope that recovery is possible.
PURPOSEFUL
From decades of experience providing help and hope to Floridians suffering from gambling addiction, the FCCG has grown its HelpLine resource database to serve nearly every situation brought about by problem gambling.
PROFESSIONAL
FCCG HelpLine Specialists are trained to provide resources catered to the contact’s unique situation, including immediate access to FCCG HelpLine programs that have been developed specifically for Florida help seekers.
PERSONAL
The FCCG HelpLine utilizes a very strict referral system, offering a variety of problem gambling specific programs, services, and local referral resources, to assist individuals with their specific needs and circumstances.
Gambling Addiction Can Be Hard to Spot
Unlike other addictions, problem gambling does not have obvious visible physical symptoms. That’s why it’s known as the hidden addiction — but there are behavioral signs. Are you seeing them?
Hear First-Hand Accounts of Problem Gambling
In Surviving Compulsive Gambling: The Betty White Story, a woman recounts her experience being married to a compulsive gambler. Her honesty provides insight into how dangerous compulsive gambling can be, including for loved ones. The Domino Effect tells the stories of Brandon, Terry, and Sarah, three individuals whose gambling addiction affected not only their lives, but the lives of those closest to them.
CONNECT WITH THE APP
888-ADMIT-IT also has a free mobile app.
Download the free 888-ADMIT-IT mobile app to stay connected with the HelpLine and resources for problem gambling. Available on both Apple and Android devices, the app allows users to contact the HelpLine in just one or two taps, take a Self-Assessment Quiz to help detect problematic gambling behaviors, learn about the FCCG’s Online Program for Problem Gamblers (OPPG), see problem gambling prevention tips, discover the warning signs of gambling addiction, and more.
APPLE DEVICESANDROID DEVICES![[IMAGE] 888-ADMIT-IT Mobile App](https://mlbazfn4liwi.i.optimole.com/w:auto/h:auto/q:mauto/f:best/https://gamblinghelp.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/cropped-888-ADMIT-IT-Mobile-App-Graphic.png "888-ADMIT-IT Mobile App")
Learn the Impacts of Gambling Addiction
Discover how gambling disorder causes financial and career difficulties, legal problems, relationship issues, and even suicidal ideation and attempts from those who lived it, but most importantly – that help and hope are available through the 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine, and recovery is possible.
KNOWING WHAT TO LOOK FOR ISN’T ENOUGH
888-ADMIT-IT Offers 24/7 Connection to Resources for Help Seekers & Professionals
As the 24/7, Confidential, and Multilingual Problem Gambling HelpLine for the entire state,
888-ADMIT-IT is the gateway to a series of free services which are not available anywhere in Florida, online, or elsewhere. Help seekers receive timely and updated resources as well as up-to-the-minute problem-gambling-related news, research, and information, along with FCCG’s tailored programs and services, available for both gamblers and their loved ones. Additionally, the FCCG HelpLine furnishes information, supports, and training for qualified addictions/mental health/other medical professionals, gambling operators, employers, and others in providing services and supports to the population negatively affected by gambling within the Sunshine State.
Resources for Help Seekers
By contacting 888-ADMIT-IT, help seekers can connect with resources like the Online Program for Problem Gamblers (OPPG), the Peer Connect Program, Referrals to Gambling Addiction Certified Treatment Providers, Self-Exclusion Programs, Self-Help Support Groups, Self-Help Literature, Financial Supports, Legal Resources, and many more.
Learn More
Resources for Professionals
The FCCG HelpLine furnishes information, supports, and training for qualified addictions/mental health/other medical professionals, gambling operators, employers, and others in providing services and supports to the population negatively affected by gambling within the Sunshine State. Want to learn more about our programs and services for professionals?
Learn MoreWorried about your gambling or that of a loved one? Contact the HelpLine today.
![[IMAGE] City of Orange City - Mayoral Proclamation](https://mlbazfn4liwi.i.optimole.com/w:1280/h:720/q:mauto/f:best/https://gamblinghelp.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/City-of-Orange-City-Mayoral-Proclamation-03.14.23-1024x768-2-e1685367809523.jpg "City of Orange City - Mayoral Proclamation")
![[IMAGE] FCCG Executive Director Jennifer Kruse Talks about Resources, Gamblers and Support on The 1% in Recovery Podcast](https://mlbazfn4liwi.i.optimole.com/w:1280/h:720/q:mauto/f:best/https://gamblinghelp.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/iStock-115906642-e1685367947580.jpg "FCCG Executive Director Jennifer Kruse Talks about Resources, Gamblers and Support on The 1% in Recovery Podcast")
Florida Organizations are Partnering in Support of PGAM
From mayoral proclamations around the state, to Florida’s gambling facilities raising awareness among their employees, PGAM partners are helping spread the word about the 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine. Interested in becoming a PGAM partner? Email us at pgam@gamblinghelp.org!
SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATESEE A LIST OF PGAM PARTNERSProblem Gambling is in the Press During PGAM
Newsweek spoke to FCCG about impacts the 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine is seeing in light of the sports betting boom, and in particular the dangers for young males. Read the cover story, These Are the Real Dangers of the Sports Betting Boom for Young Men, as it appears in the 03.31-04.07.23 edition of Newsweek magazine.
READ THE COVER STORY
Follow Our Blog & Learn More About
Problem Gambling
For those who suffer from gambling disorder and their loved ones, the impacts touch upon nearly every aspect of life. The FCCG’s blog is a deep dive into everything problem gambling, from resources available for gamblers and loved ones, to seasonal concerns, prevention tips, awareness events, and more.
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Habilidades de Supervivencia para los Seres Queridos de Jugadores Compulsivos
¡No estás solo! Muchas familias, seres queridos y amigos de jugadores problemáticos pueden verse gravemente afectados mental, física y financieramente por esta adicción oculta. Es crucial que establezcas límites y[…]
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Coping Skills for Loved Ones of Compulsive Gamblers
You are not alone! So many families, loved ones, and friends of problem gamblers can be severely mentally, physically, and financially impacted by this hidden addiction. It is crucial that[…]
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September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month: Looking at Problem Gambling as a Root Cause
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Sadly, provisional data for 2022 revealed the highest number of annual deaths by suicide on record. After adjusting for population growth and age,[…]
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Contact Us
Want to learn more about problem gambling? Are you a professional that works with this population? Whatever you’re looking for, feel free to reach out using the form below. For immediate or anonymous assistance, please contact the 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine.
Connect with Us
Follow the FCCG on social media to be in the know about the latest problem gambling news and HelpLine updates.