The number of people seeking help through a problem gambling hotline is holding at about the same number as one year ago.
Rose Gruber is Executive Director of the Wisconsin Council On Problem Gambling headquartered in Green Bay. The council began in 1993. People who find they might be spending more than they can afford call a toll-free number or go online to find help in quitting what is recognized as an addiction.
Gruber says a large number of calls continue to come in....
"....through April of this year we've had about 5,500 calls to the helpline, so that's keeping up with previous years so the numbers are not decreasing, but that is a good thing because we know there's problem gamblers out there and they're reaching out for help is a good thing...."
Gruber says because it's gambling, people sometimes don't see it as an addiction. ..
".....If you've spent $20 every time you go gambling and all of a sudden you take $50, that's the first sign you're crossing that line. A compulsive gambler can't stop, no matter what. When they win, they go back to chase those wins, they want to win more. When they lose, they go back to chase their losses...."
She says the council refers people who think they have a problem to groups like Gamblers Anonymous and other treatment. She says because it's gambling, people sometimes don't see it as an addiction.
The toll-free number to the Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling is 800-GAMBLE-5, or they're online at wi.problemgamblers.org
