March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month
March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month. The year’s campaign theme is “Awareness + Action” and aims to increase public awareness of problem gambling and the availability of prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery services.
Gambling involves risking money or anything of value on something that has an outcome of chance. There are many different forms of gambling, including lottery tickets, online gaming, bingo, sports betting, and casino slot machines.
While gambling can be fun and entertaining, it can become a problem, causing disruptions to major areas of your life - your relationships with family and friends, your financial stability, education, work, and more.
A person with a gambling problem experiences the same effect as one might get from taking a drug or drinking alcohol. But just as tolerance to drugs or alcohol builds, a person experiencing a gambling problem finds that it takes more and more of the gambling experience to achieve the same effect as before. This creates an increased urge to gamble and the person finds that they are increasing less able to resist as the craving grows in intensity and frequency.
Do you or someone you know have a problem with gambling?
Signs may include:
Spending more time or money on gambling than you can afford.
Lying to loved ones about time or money spent on gambling.
Feeling less interest in other activities you normally enjoy.
Feeling restless, anxious, or irritable when trying cut down on or stop gambling.
Borrowing money to gamble, or using funds needed for other purposes, such as your mortgage, car payments, or groceries.
Gambling to escape personal problems.
Trying to win back losses.
Problem gambling can take control of a person’s life.
Help is available.
Services in Maine include the Problem Gambling Helpline provided by 211 Maine, and treatment provided by the Maine Gambling Addiction Treatment Network. Treatment can be provided at no cost to individuals who do not have the means to pay. If you are concerned about your gambling or the gambling of a loved one, 211 Maine employs live specialists who are available 24/7 to provide callers with information about resources and services.
Dial 211 (or 1-866-811-5695)
Text your zip code to 898-211
Visit www.211Maine.org
If someone is in crisis, dial Maine's Statewide Crisis Hotline at 1-888-568-1112
If someone is in immediate danger of hurting themselves or others, dial 9-1-1
Maine Gambling Self-Exclusion Program
For those who find casino gambling hard to resist, the Maine Self-Exclusion Program may help. The Maine Self-Exclusion Program is a voluntary action that a person may take to ban themselves from all Maine casinos for 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, or for a lifetime.
The Maine Gambling Control Board maintains the active self-exclusion list and will release the names to casino establishments only. Once a person commits to the Self-Exclusion Program, s/he may not enter a casino during the time period to which s/he has committed.
A person on the list who enters or gambles at a casino may be arrested for trespassing and will have any winnings turned over to the Maine Gambling Control Board.
You can self-exclude at any Maine casino and 12 additional locations throughout the state, including Healthy Acadia’s Washington County office 121 Court Street, Suite A, Machias. To set up an appointment, contact Angela Fochesato at (207) 255-3741 Ext. 103 or email Angela@HealthyAcadia.org.
For more information about Maine’s Self-Exclusion Program click here or call (207) 287-8900.