Missouri a leader in dealing with problem gambling, officials say

Editor's note: Last names of gambling addict victims were withheld to protect their privacy.

Amy's father was a compulsive gambler. During her childhood, her parents took out three mortgages on the Jackson house she grew up in to try to pay his gambling debts.

"I remember them fighting constantly," said Amy, who was 16 at the time. "I felt really torn when my mother was talking bad about my dad. That killed me because he was still my daddy. I was a daddy's girl."

Amy's father got credit cards in her mother's name and used them to get cash to gamble with. He had the bills sent to post office boxes to hide them from his family.

"The lying he did affected us all," Amy said. "He lost all trust from all of us."

Eventually, her parents divorced, leaving Amy's mother with more than $120,000 in her father's gambling debts to repay.

Despite this experience, Amy said she's not opposed to a casino in Cape Girardeau.

"There wasn't one here when he lost all our money," she said of her father. "Just like a drug addict, they will find their fix no matter what. Having a casino here just means they won't have to drive as far."

According to the Missouri Alliance to Curb Problem Gambling, 95 percent of Missouri residents who participate in games of chance understand the costs and risks. But up to 5 percent of individuals who gamble experience personal, financial and social difficulties as a result of their obsession with games of chance.

Dr. Bob Kamath, a Cape Girardeau psychiatrist, disagrees with that statistic, saying that only 5 percent of pathological gamblers will admit to it.

"The hallmark of all addictions is denial. Nobody wants to admit they have a problem," Kamath said.

Missouri is considered a leader in the gaming industry for addressing problem gambling, said Melissa Stephens, administrator for the Missouri Gaming Commission Problem Gambling Program.

It's the only state with a partnership with the casino industry, lottery, mental health providers and state regulators in place for more than 10 years, she said. Together, those entities make up the Missouri Alliance to Curb Problem Gambling. Each partner administers programs to address compulsive gambling in Missouri.

The Missouri Gaming Association, a statewide trade group for the casino industry, funds the 888-BETSOFF help line that is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week with licensed counselors trained in dealing with gambling issues.

"People calling the help line are often referred to counselors in their area for additional counseling services or advised of other options available to them," said Mike Winter, executive director of the Missouri Gaming Association.

In 2000 the Missouri Legislature created the Compulsive Gamblers Fund. One cent from each admission fee paid to the state by casinos goes to provide free counseling to gambling addicts through the Missouri Department of Mental Health. The fund collects about $500,000 annually, Winter said.

Last year, 323 people received free treatment for gambling addiction through the program, according to the Missouri Department of Mental Health. Towns with casinos have the ability to require casino companies to contribute toward efforts to address compulsive gambling in their communities, Stephens said.

The gaming commission has received an annual appropriation of $120,000 to $140,000 for its problem gambling efforts, including a voluntary exclusion program in which people can ban themselves from the state's casinos. Last year, 903 applications were made for placement on the exclusion list, managed by the Missouri Gaming Commission. The list, started in the late 1990s, has 15,235 names on it.

Isle of Capri takes Missouri's self-exclusion list one step further.

"It is our policy that if a patron self-excludes himself or herself at our property in Caruthersville, then they are automatically added to our exclusion list at every property where we operate," said Jill Haynes, senior director for corporate communications at Isle of Capri Casinos' St. Louis headquarters. Isle of Capri has 15 properties in six states, Haynes said, and problem gaming regulations vary by state.

For example, Colorado does not have any problem gaming laws. Florida does, but its laws don't include a statewide self-exclusion program.

One Cape Girardeau woman whose marriage ended in part to a gambling addiction, said a self-exclusion programs did not help her ex-husband.

"My ex tried to put himself on the self-ban lists that existed in Missouri and Illinois, but then just drove himself to Tunica when the urge hit again," Shirlene said. "He hid a girlfriend and his gambling problem from me until it was too big to hide, then attempted suicide."

After taking out a loan against his 401(k) plan, he headed to Tunica with thousands of dollars in cash. When she discovered it, she drove overnight to catch him before the money was gone. Later that week he entered a three-week gambling inpatient recovery program at an Illinois hospital. Shirlene separated from him shortly after that.

According to Kamath, a psychologist for 39 years, gambling addiction is "exactly" like alcoholism and drug addiction.

"They get a kick out of it," he said. "They keep chasing that feeling, even if they lose. ... Maybe they will hit it big the next time."

He said he hasn't treated many pathological gamblers because so few are willing to admit their problem and seek treatment. He said it is extremely difficult to treat because there aren't drugs that can be prescribed to help, such as those used to help people overcome alcohol and drug addictions. He does recommend treatment through Gamblers Anonymous. The closest local chapter meets in Sikeston, Mo.

He has treated many children of gamblers, who he says suffer severe consequences.

"Children grow up with their parents missing from the home scene, and when they are home they are irritable, angry and hostile toward their children when they can't gamble," Kamath said. "Children experience an extreme sense of insecurity, hopelessness and shame, and they bottle this all up, and by the time they are adults they are facing anxiety, panic attacks, suicidal behavior, chronic depression and often end up taking up their parents' vices."

The Missouri Gaming Commission requires casinos to adhere to several standards designed to curb problem gambling, including responsible alcohol policies, responsible check cashing policies and preventing those under 21 from entering casinos.

"The casino gaming industry has long implemented employee and public education programs to increase awareness of disordered gambling and promote responsible gaming practices, both at the company and industrywide levels," Haynes said.

At Isle of Capri, all new employees are trained to spot compulsive gambling behaviors and are updated annually as part of Compulsive Gaming Week each August, Haynes said.

"If an employee suspects that a guest or anyone else has a problem, the employee contacts his or her manager. From there, each case is handled on a case-by-case basis depending upon the specific circumstances," she said.

Isle of Capri and other Missouri casinos that are members of The American Gaming Association must also follow a Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming, Haynes said. It can be viewed at americangaming.org.

mmiller@semissourian.com

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