California Officials Worried

State officials in California are concerned with the rate of slot machines coming into their state, how it is affecting those that have a gambling problem. The more slot machines there are, the more the chances that they will be put in the backyard of someone who is trying desperately not to gamble. They are putting more money into gambling programs as well as a study to see how bad the problem is getting.

Studies have shown that somewhere around 2-4% of adults has a gambling problem. According to the California Council on Problem Gambling, 77.5% of their calls come from addicts who prefer Indian gaming over any other kind. They also list Thunder Valley casino as the number one choice of problem gamblers in the state.

The main problem with gambling is that it may be like drug or alcohol addiction, but it is also very different as well. It has been proven that gambling addicts have a higher rate of suicide than the other addictions, partly because gambling is a tough thing to see – it is a very private disease. Alcoholism and drug addiction are much more out there – they are spoken of more, there are more ways to get help, and they are much harder to hide than gambling addiction is. If you decide to stay up all night playing a slot machine you will be tired the next day, but you won’t be under the influence of some type of drink or drug.

California is also trying to get a statewide gambler exclusion list that addicts can put themselves on. If they register at one casino as an addict, then they will be banned from every casino. There are tons of names already though, so the state will have to think of something else to help as well.

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