NCPG’s national conference will take place in our nation’s capital in July. MNAPG will again offer scholarships to approved problem gambling counselors if they have joint memberships with MNAPG and NCPG. The scholarship will cover up to $1,000 for attending either the in-person event in Washington, D.C., July 27-28 or the online pre-conference workshops the afternoons of June 14 and 15. Advocacy Day (see article in this issue of Northern Light) will be July 26 for those who want to connect with their congressional representatives. More information on the scholarship can be obtained by contacting sstucker@mnapg. org. Conference information can be found at https://www.ncpgambling.org/nationalconference/2023-2/.
This March marked the twentieth anniversary of PGAM. The month of March was intentionally chosen by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) to draw attention to the growing interest and participation in “the brackets,” the NCAA basketball championship tournament.
For many Americans, the annual tournament is a fun event involving officemates and friends choosing which teams will move forward in the competition. Many such pools don’t involve money, but only bragging rights for the winner. However, for others, it’s a much more serious and potentially harm-producing endeavor. Aided by easy accessibility of wagering on a phone, players could engage in in-play bets (that have nothing to do with the outcome of the game) in addition to picking winners. Some argue that placing a small wager on the games makes it more exciting. But for others who get swept up in the action and bet more than they can afford to lose, the experience of wagering can be devastating.
This year may may have been more damaging than previous years as none of the first-seed teams made it to the Final Four.
Some facts about March Madness (sources in parentheses):
º Over 80 million brackets are completed each year (American Gaming Association)
º An estimated $15.5 billion was wagered over the course of the tournament (American Gaming Association)
º Approximately 52% of wagers were placed online (American Gaming Association)
º Of those betting online, an estimated 75% were betting on the tournament for the first time (American Gaming Association)
º The odds of filling out a perfect bracket is one in 9.2 quintillion (NCAA)
º More than 62% of Americans either planned to place a wager or knew someone who did (American Gaming Association)
Concerns were raised over student athletes being harassed on social media by those who lost bets. This will need to be closely monitored in the months to come.
MNAPG HELPS TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT PGAM
As the state affiliate to NCPG, we join forces in the national PGAM campaign to increase awareness about problem gambling throughout the state of Minnesota. Our activities actually start around the time of the Super Bowl and then roll into March, ending at the conclusion of the NCAA championship in early April. Our campaigns are displayed on our social medial platforms, included in our long-standing relationship with The Phoenix Spirit (recovery newspaper and website focusing on addiction, recovery, renewal and growth) and highlighted in various digital ads, targeted emails and paid articles with the Star Tribune. We also participate in several conferences throughout March by either providing resources or making presentations.
One of MNAPG’s presentations addressed Metro State’s Problem Gambling elective class, which, through the tenacity of counselor and associate professor Kevin Spading, has received recognition by the Department of Human Services as equivalent to the 60 hours of training required to become a problem gambling counselor. This enables all graduates of this LADC program who have taken this class to be immediately eligible to complete a contract to be a certified with Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, and thus offer free problem gambling services. As this is the only program of its kind in the state, MNAPG is hopeful this will lead to a new pipeline of problem gambling counselors, something which is greatly needed.
MNAPG also had the opportunity to address the Hazelden Betty Ford community regarding the high co-occurrence of gambling with other addictions and mental health issues. This was a new audience, with hundreds attending from across the country.
MNAPG relies on targeting three specific audiences in our PGAM campaigns: gamblers, a gambler’s concerned others and healthcare professionals. We emphasize the resources available for help and provide hope in our messaging that treatment works for gamblers and their families. For healthcare professionals, we stress the importance of screening for problem gambling and to make them aware of available resources.
“Gambling can be a fun escape when you’re minimizing risk,
but when people become addicted to gambling, personal finances
can be dramatically impacted, and as a result, lives and families are torn apart” Tweet This
According to Debt.org, the average debt generated to people addicted to gambling is between $55,000 and $90,000. MNAPG says gambling carries the highest suicide rate of all diagnosed addictions, as those suffering don’t see a path to recovery from financial losses.
“Gambling can be a fun escape when you’re minimizing risk, but when people become addicted to gambling, personal finances can be dramatically impacted, and as a result, lives and families are torn apart,” says Susan Sheridan Tucker, Executive Director of MNAPG. “If you gamble, it’s critical to establish limits and find a healthy balance to meet your financial needs.”
Know the Warning Signs of Gambling-Related Financial Issues
MNAPG calls out these warning signs to identify if a loved one is having financial issues caused by gambling behavior:
Household bills are consistently overdue.
Unaccounted-for cash advances from credit cards, or maxed-out credit cards.
Person is secretive about money.
The person is making requests for unexplained loans from family/friends, or for loans that are blamed on phony financial matters.
If a loved one with a gambling problem is reluctant to address the issue, MNAPG says it’s important for people in the household to take strict precautions to keep themselves safe. Tips include setting up your own bank account, throwing away credit card offers and telling others not to lend money to person with the gambling problem.
To find help, call the Minnesota Helpline at 1-800-333-4673, and visit www.mnapg.org for more resources. Counseling is at no cost for the gambler or their family.
About the Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling
MNAPGis a non-profit, gambling-neutral organization dedicated to improving the lives of Minnesotans affected by problem gambling. MNAPG is a coalition of individuals and organizations sharing the belief that problem gambling is a serious public health problem that is both treatable and preventable. MNAPG efforts helps individuals, families and communities address the devastating effects of problem gambling.
“All you’ve got to do is stay away from gambling.” A woman described her experience with the stigma and blame of gambling problems by saying, “They look at it as being a weak person that is a problem gambler, someone that’s got no control over what they’re doing.” Shame and self-blame are common among people experiencing problem gambling, and they might intensify gambling problems by making it harder for people to regulate their emotions adaptively. This week, The WAGER reviews a study by Ana Estévez and colleagues that examined the relationship between shame and blame and problem gambling severity, as well as how emotion regulation mediates that relationship.
What was the research question?
How do shame and blame relate to problem gambling severity, and how does emotion regulation mediate that relationship?
What did the researchers do?
The authors surveyed 158 adolescents and young adults (119 males and 39 females of ages 12-30) from Northern Spain. Participants were divided into a non-clinical at-risk gambler group, a non-clinical problem gambling group, and a clinical problem gambler group based on their scores on the Spanish language version of the South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised Adolescents scale. The researchers recruited the non-clinical samples from schools and the clinical sample from a treatment center. The researchers measure positive and negative moods, gambling motives, and emotion regulation. Next, they used Pearson’s r to assess the relationship between problem gambling severity, blame and shame, emotion regulation strategies for coping with negative life events, and gambling motives. Finally, the authors conducted a mediation analysis to examine the role of emotion regulation as a potential mediator in the relationship between problem gambling severity, and blame and shame.
What did they find?
Participants with more severe problem gambling reported feeling more shame and blame. Additionally, they were more likely to report that they gambled to enhance their moods and cope with stress (but not to socialize) and to use several strategies to cope with negative life events: self-blame, acceptance, rumination, positive reappraisal, and catastrophizing. Three strategies for coping with negative life events–positive refocusing, putting things into perspective, and re-focusing on planning–were unrelated to problem gambling severity, and blaming others was negatively related to problem gambling severity. Finally, in the mediation analyses, using self-blame to cope with negative life events partially accounted for the relationship between problem gambling severity and shame at present and during the past 2 weeks.
Figure. Key points from Estévez et al. (2022) about the relationship between blame, shame, emotion regulation, gambling motives, and problem gambling severity, showing variables that were statistically significantly related to problem gambling severity. Click image to enlarge.
Why do these findings matter?
Findings from studies such as this one can help inform evidence-based approaches to treatment and prevention. For example, learning that emotion regulation strategies like rumination and catastrophizing are related to problem gambling severity will allow for better-informed interventions such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), that teach healthier coping skills. Additionally, this study highlights the importance of conducting research on problem gambling in different contexts than the U.S., which speaks to the generalizability of predictors in other geographic locations, as (speaking very generally) blame is more prevalent in Western cultures, while shame is more dominant in Eastern cultures.
Every study has limitations. What are the limitations of this study?
This study had a small sample size, so the results might not be generalizable across Spain or other countries, such as the United States. Furthermore, because socio-cultural factors were not recorded, it is unclear whether they had an impact on the role of blame and shame. The results are also likely not representative of populations in other countries and cultures where blame and shame may have different prevalence levels. Additionally, this is a cross-sectional study, so causal relationships cannot be determined.
For more information:
Do you think you or someone you know has a gambling problem? Visit the National Council on Problem Gambling for screening tools and resources. For individuals in Spain, visit this article for information on the Problem Gambling helpline.
If approved, licenses would be provided to tribal nations around Minnesota to create sportsbooks at casinos, and Minnesotans age 21 and older could also place wagers through their phones, using online apps.
Bill sponsors have said revenue would go toward regulations and consumer protections, with another 40% used to address problem gambling. Susan Sheridan Tucker, executive director of the Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling, said that language is appreciated, but she asked lawmakers if information-sharing can be included, too.
“Operators and their licensees will be collecting quite a bit of data that can help answer many questions that researchers have concerning gambling behaviors,” she said, “and can provide insights into whether more individuals are becoming addicted to gambling.”
Tucker, whose organization is neutral on legalizing sports betting, stressed that no personal information, including a bettor’s identity, would be shared. She said at least two other states have these provisions in their laws. The Minnesota Indian Gaming Association has said it needs more information before commenting on that recommendation.
David Prestwood, government affairs manager for the online betting firm DraftKings, echoed that sentiment in his testimony.
“An estimated 1.17 million people in the state are making a combined total of more than $2.5 billion in illegal wagers annually,” he said. “Nearly all of these wagers are placed online in the robust illegal market, where sophisticated illegal operators capitalize on the popularity of this form of entertainment.”
As for the sharing of aggregated data, the bill’s sponsor expressed a willingness to have more discussions about it. More broadly, the current version excludes horse tracks, potentially complicating final passage in the Legislature.
