Slot Machine Addicts Hit Bottom - Then Ask for Help

Slot machine addicts come from all walks of life – rich, poor, educated, illiterate, upper class, lower class, it does not matter who you are – if you have something in you that makes you have an addictive personality you could get addicted to slot machines. Plus, once you are addicted to the slot machines you probably won’t stop and get help until you lose everything. Because the state of Pennsylvania knows that it is just a matter of time before the slot machine addicts in their state start coming forward, they are trying to head it off at the pass.

The state has instituted a 30 hour class on slot machine gambling addiction counseling that will train state counselors on how to handle those with this specific type of gambling disease. The classes will become public once the state has finished training their counselors, just so that anyone else who wanted to train on how to handle slot machine addicts could. The slot machine casinos are helping fund gambling addiction programs – to the tune of $1.5 million a year.

Because research shows that 2-3% of all slot machine gamblers will develop an addiction, it is very important to the state to try and assist where it can. There will be literature posted in all of the casinos for the slot machine players to see, and their staffs are trained on what to look for as well. Admitted slot machine gamblers can sign up on a list that will allow them to be voluntarily banned from the casinos. They also will not receive marketing for the slot machines in the mail as an attempt to keep them straight.

Here are the warning signs of slot machine gambling addiction:

• Depressed or suicidal due to gambling losses.
• Borrow money to gamble.
• Commit a crime or consider doing so to finance gambling.
• Feel guilty after gambling.
• Try gambling to make money you need.
• Gamble with money you cannot afford to lose, like savings or bill money.
• Lose sleep or other time thinking about gambling.
• Gamble longer than planned on a regular basis.
• Often gamble until you truly have no money left.
• Try stopping gambling repeatedly to no avail.

If you think you may have a problem, please call the nonprofit Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania at 1-800-848-1880 or the state Department of Health’s Gambling Addiction Information Line at 1-877-565-2112.

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