GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Officials with the Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling don’t want March Madness to bust your budget.
March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month and Rose Blozinski, Executive Director with the Council, says filling out a bracket can be problematic for some.
“What happens a lot of times you put all that money in, especially if you’re a problem gambler, and then you’re going to lose and then you’re going to try to keep going back to win more and more,” she explains.
According to her, there’s nothing wrong with entering an office pool and wagering manageable amounts, but there are red flags to look out for that things have gone too far.
“If it’s not fun, if it’s affecting other areas of your life, if you’re spending way too much money [or] you’re borrowing money,” she says.
Often times it can be difficult to avoid entering an office pool due to peer pressure, but Blozinski says it’s important to simply say no if it would require wagering an amount that you can’t afford to lose.
Same as the lottery, the Council strongly urges individuals to never gamble with money that they rely upon to pay bills or keep food on the table.
They also warn that the college basketball tournament can be a dangerous gambling proposition, because so many individuals feel confident in a certain teams success.
“There’s only so many things you can predict,” explains Blozinski. “You know you might bet on a team that’s been winning all year and they have a bad day and that could be a bad thing.”
According to the Council, just because everybody else is doing it, doesn’t mean you have to also.
“You can get caught into that hype so easily and we hear of people who just put thousands of dollars on games,” says Blozinski.
Once again, that’s not to deter people from entering an office pool for fun with spare cash or making manageable wagers.
Rather, it’s a warning to not let a busted bracket cost you more than pride and a few bucks.
“There’s a difference between social gambling and someone who has a problem gambling,” explains Blozinski.
