GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – There were more than 13-thousand calls last year, to the Helpline operated by the Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling
WCPG Executive Director Rose Blozinski (blow-ZIN-ski) says the total number of calls only tell part of the story about problem gambling in Wisconsin
“Lots of time when they make that first phone call they are many times thousands of dollars in debt, they may have family issues, they may have gotten in toruble legally because of their gambling….they may be suicidal”
The Helpline report shows the average debt of callers was over 38-thousand dollars among those willing to share that information.
And Blozinski notes, not all problem gamblers are adults
“12 to 20 percent of our youth are showing that they may have some sort of gambling problem. They’re young adults, but they can get addicted as well”
Blozinski says long-term recovering from gambling is possible, but challenging because “gambling is everywhere we look.”
If you need help with problem gambling, or know someone who does, call this number 1-800-GAMBLE-5
