Harm Reduction

Day 2 of the National Center on Responsible Gaming Conference on Addiction and Gambling started out with a wonderful Gamblers Anonymous/Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. This was the first meeting I have attended outside of California and even though I only knew I one person in the meeting I still felt better after attending the meeting then I felt before the meeting. There hasn't been a meeting where this hasn't been the case and I am so pleased because the meetings maybe different from state to state or even city to city but the purpose is the same; to help people with a gambling problem. Also, this is the first meeting where the visitors seem to out number the members. This was an open meeting and some people from the conference took the initiative to attend the meeting to see how the meeting operated because as part of their jobs they do refer people to Gamblers Anonymous meetings. The feedback from these visitors after the meeting was very positive.

After the meeting came the hour and a half session on "HARM REDUCTION" for the problem gambler. I have to admit I was very skeptical going into this session but tried to keep an open mind. I was skeptical because to me I want to eliminate the harm and the only way to do this is to NOT do the behavior which means to NOT gamble. I tried to keep an open mind all through the discussion. I listened to three very highly credential counselors and they were very proud of their work but I wasn't very impressed. In fact and this will sound almost cynical the harm reduction these people were talking about seemed to prolong the therapy sessions and I would suspect they received more billable hours. This is not to say they were doing this on purpose because everyone is different in their treatment. Look at me it took; losing a career; going to jail and almost losing my family to finally admit I am a compulsive gambler so who I am to talk about others in treatment. The fact that they are getting treatment is a good thing but the harm reduction these counselors were speaking of didn't seem too effective.

Five percent of people who gamble are compulsive or pathological gamblers and I fit into this category. There is no such thing as harm reduction for this percentile because it will be all harm. This harm will not only harm the compulsive gambler but will also harm the loved ones of the compulsive gambler and in the big picture will harm society. The harm of society will come with the anti-social behavior and in some cases can lead to suicide and yes, murder.

Fifteen percent of the people will develop a problem gambling but does not mean they will be a compulsive or pathological gambler. Harm reduction may work on these people but must be closely monitored or the same problems as a compulsive gambler will develop. There are many challenges in harm reduction and I am all for whatever works for the person. For me it is abstinence, Higher Power, my family and the Gamblers Anonymous Program. I realize everyone is different and what works for me is not necessarily the end all be all. It is good to see something is being done but we have a long way to go.

The afternoon session was a very touching speech from Senator George McGovern. Senator McGovern had lost his daughter to alcoholism. Eleven years ago she was found frozen to death after passing out from drinking too much. She had two young daughters and was in and out of treatment for a number of years. Senator McGovern spoke for an hour and he was very eloquent in describing his daughters battle with her addiction. He has a long line of alcoholics in his family and he believes this has been passed down through the generations. He had a great quote on what he learned from his daughter's battle with alcoholism; "Don't hate the person hate the addiction". I was very moved by his speech and I believe the worst thing in the world is losing a child. He has taken this horrible experience and has tried to turn this into a positive. He has written book "Terrie" and started a foundation for the treatment of alcoholism in his daughter's memory.

Though Senator McGovern's speech was not about compulsive gambling it was about an addiction and yes, an addiction is an addiction whether it is to drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, shopping, etc.. We can all learn from these addictions and we can all do something to ensure everyone has help. No one should be turned away because they have an addiction these are sick people (like myself) who need help and we as society should help. Yes, things are being done for addictions and the fact that there is a dialogue on compulsive gambling is a good thing in my mind.

After Senator McGovern spoke there was a session on "What we (Responsible Gaming) can learn from the alcohol industry responsible drinking program". I sat and listened for an hour and listened to some questions and listened to this speaking say he knew nothing about responsible gaming. This was extremely disappointing because I can see drawing the parallels to responsible drinking but somehow they need to be connected and this speaker could not do this. How can the Gaming Industry institute initiate this type of program? The speaker could not answer this question and I was hoping for someone to step up and say we are pursuing this type of program but no one said anything. My friend and I were perplexed how someone could speak for an hour at a responsible gaming conference and no NOTHING about responsible gaming.

The final session of the conference was on self-exclusion and how to implement a program at a casino. This panel knew what they were talking about but in my opinion this is a "feel good" option for the casino industry. They have given the patron the option to ban themselves from that particular property and in some cases all of the properties the casino's parent company is associated with. Meaning if you ban yourself from a Harrah's property in Missouri you are banning yourself from all of the Harrah's properties in the United States. It is an interesting program but it is very difficult to monitor. No one can stop the banned person from entering a casino but they can prevent them from winning. If a banned patron wins a taxable jackpot ($1200 or more) they will NOT get paid and in some cases get taken to jail for trespassing.

There was one member on the panel from a California Tribal Casino who has taken the banning to the next level. This particular casino will ban a customer when the family of the probable compulsive gambler comes in with sufficient documentation stating financial hardship caused by this person's gambling and asks for the family member to be banned. This is extremely innovative and really can only work at a Tribal Casino because their laws are a little different from the rest of the public casinos and are protected by sovereign immunity (which means they cannot be sued). They have had only a handful of these types of involuntary bannings but it was nice to see this particular regulator take the initiative to do something where they felt it necessary. There was and is a growing problem with compulsive gamblers and most compulsive gamblers will hide their gambling so I am sure this will be a limited program. But again at least something is being done and it does beat the alternative of nothing.

The conference ended and I was a bit disappointed. This was the heavyweights of the Gaming Industry and the Addiction Experts and I guess I was expecting a bit more. The fact that there is a movement to assist problem gamblers is a step in the right direction but there are so many steps that need to be taken. I would say the treatment, education and awareness of problem gambling is in the infancy stage and the infant has yet to learn how to crawl but everyone starts somewhere.

Tonight the Al Roker Investigates; "Kids, Cards and Dice" airs on Court TV and here is a few paragraphs from review in a Buffalo, New York newspaper;

In Roker's program, a reformed gambling addict, Paul Del Vacchio, reveals some of the dangers discussed by opponents of the much-talked about new casino in Buffalo. The accountant eventually declared bankruptcy, embezzled from his company and is facing a potential prison term of 12 years.

He is eloquent in describing how his life spiraled out of control after he became addicted to the rush of online gambling on sports events. Ultimately, he realized he was an "idiot" for taking such uncontrollable risks.

When it comes to gambling, you can be smart and still be an idiot. Roker's show follows around two Ivy Leaguers who claim big online poker winnings and believe they have a flawless system that will prevent them from busting at a casino.

This superior attitude makes them more pathetic figures than sympathetic ones. As gambling addiction experts on the program tell Roker, ultimately even the best poker players rely on what cards turn up.

At one point, Roker tells one of the Ivy Leaguers that he could bust out and lose everything. "It is not really possible I don't think," replies the University of Pennsylvania graduate.

I know there are no sure things. But I bet you can't possibly watch this special and not realize that the only guarantee in gambling, as in life, is there are no guarantees.