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Minnesota Gambling Control Board Plays Critical Role in State Gambling

Minnesota Gambling Control Board Plays Critical Role in State Gambling

The Minnesota Gambling Control Board plays a critical role in regulating gambling activity in Minnesota. Northern Light conducted the following Q&A with Matt Gettman, the agency’s executive director.

Q: What is the primary role of the Minnesota Gambling Control Board (MGCB)?
A: Our role is to regulate the lawful (charitable) gambling industry to ensure the integrity of operations (games) and provide for the lawful use of net profits (where the dollars go). There are a lot of moving parts with a lot of different stakeholders with potentially conflicting interests.

Q: Who are MGCB’s stakeholders?
A: Our stakeholders haven’t changed much over time. Licensees, the organizations that purchase gambling licenses, make up a large number of the stakeholders. Licensees include the manufacturer and distributor as well as the organizations. Other stakeholders include those we don’t license, such as the owners and managers of the premise permit locations (where the gambling activity takes place). Other stakeholders include bookkeepers and the accounting firms who assist licensees in determining where the dollars go.

State agencies are also stakeholders, such as the Minnesota Department of Revenue and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. There are also local agencies, such as city councils, city clerks, city financial officers and planning commissions. We also deal with the associations that represent those groups, such as the League of Minnesota Cities. Stakeholders also include the targeted beneficiaries of the net profits from the lawful charitable gambling.

The last group of stakeholders includes the players, the public and even the non-players who are affected by the gambling taking place. This includes NPGA. We’re all part of the community in which this activity is occurring.

Q: What work are you doing related to COVID-19?
A: With mandates and protections for social distancing, there’s been a need to figure out how businesses can conduct their businesses without exposing or further exacerbating the virus issues. That includes not having bar service. So people who order drinks sometimes aren’t actually going to the bar counter. They may be seated in a parking lot that might not be owned by the establishment.

Beyond the immediate COVID issues, we’re always looking to improve the safeguards, flags and controls — all of which ensure integrity of playing games and use of the proceeds. We’re also involved in outreach and education so that all of our stakeholders, such as Northstar, are educated.

Q: What changes might take place because of the prolonged COVID-19 closings or reduced capacity in bars and taverns?
A: The impact has been as these establishments — these licensees —have restarted lawful gambling each deals with its own unique impact and, in some cases, additional local restrictions imposed by local municipalities.

For our part, we used the time of closures to take the initiative to do additional checks and audits we could never have done in the past. This has allowed us to identify organizations that were not properly accounting for funds or otherwise not supporting the integrity of lawful gambling.

Q: We’ve heard that sales for electronic pull tabs are going through the roof, but paper pull tabs are not. Do you have any idea why this is the case? Is there a perception that they’re somehow cleaner?
A: Social interaction and the desire to support local community causes has historically driven the paper games. The restricted number of people has, most likely, in turn impacted total sales. However, at this time, we have no data to support any conclusion.

Q: It seems that there’s a move in the U.S. toward cashless casinos. Do you foresee a time when credit cards will be allowed to purchase pull tabs? If not, why?
A: We don’t have the authority to allow the use of credit cards. That would require a statutory change by the state legislature. I don’t see this changing any time soon. However, when we reach that point of allowing the use of electronic means for gambling purchases, we will also have the ability to support self-imposed limits on those electronic accounts for problem gamblers.

Q: Do you foresee electronic pull tabs replacing paper altogether?
A: No, I don’t. They cater to two different game players. The ones historically playing paper see it as part of their social activities – collectively opening a pool of paper pull tabs in one social setting. However, because of the nature of electronic pull tabs, which are played by only one person at a time even when part of the same social circle, there’s a different social dynamic. Both forms of lawful gambling appear to be staging a strong recovery after the COVID pause, and neither appears to be replacing the other.

Q: Once the debt service is paid off for the Vikings stadium through electronic pull tabs, does the portion set aside for problem gambling services go away as well? Is there a specific sunset built into the legislation?
A: The MGCB has no stake in where dollars raised from charitable gambling go. Those directives are made by legislative mandate. There is no sunset provision for the funding of problem gambling services and it is not tied to the debt service for the Vikings stadium.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share about MGCB?
A: We’re trying to find more opportunities to engage with various shareholders. We’re happy to hear from anyone with ideas on how we can help educate folks in their respective circles and help them reach their respective objective. At the end of day we are one community.

COVID Mental Health Trends from EAP (Employee Assistance Program) Callers

COVID Mental Health Trends from EAP (Employee Assistance Program) Callers

The following are some trends that have emerged from people calling in to employee assistance programs.

  •  Loneliness is causing increased mental health issues. This seems to be an underlying theme if clients are far from their support systems or have spent a lot of time alone. Issues from the past, including previous trauma or unresolved mental health issues, appear to be resurfacing in a major way.
  • There is considerable grief and loss, particularly around COVID-19. There have been calls for grief counseling related to the difficulty of coping with not being able to hold memorial services and funerals.
  • There is significant work stress, both for essential workers going to the workplace (usually medical personnel concerned about if there is sufficient PPE or having to work forced overtime) as well as staff not deemed essential but currently working at home and feeling anxious about how things will be different as they transition back to the workplace.
  • Relationship problems. EAP has seen a lot of interpersonal conflict leading to requests for couples counseling or one partner calling in wanting to explore legal services for separation/divorce. Counselors are screening for domestic violence concerns, and occasionally clients confirm domestic violence.
  • Increased substance use calls. Clients have identified increased substance use, with alcohol use in particular.
  • Parenting stress. Calls usually involve young children at home and discuss uncertainty of how parents can support childrens’ anxieties about the pandemic. There are also new obstacles, such as parents concerned about whether their older children will be able to proceed with attending college in person as planned in the fall.
The Problem Gambling Landscape in Wisconsin

The Problem Gambling Landscape in Wisconsin

Northern Light sat down (virtually) with Rose Blozinski, executive director at the Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling, to gain some insights about the problem gambling landscape of our eastern neighbor.

Here are some highlights of that conversation.

Q: How is the Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling funded?

A: We have a grant from Wisconsin’s Department of Social Services for a public awareness campaign and also receive funding from casinos and private donations. Our budget is approximately $475,000.

Q: How does Wisconsin train gambling counselors?

A: We have two types of training. The first is a 60-hour phased program that consists of four phases of 15 hours each. We also have an intro training that’s six hours long. The goal is to provide people with more awareness of gambling disorder and to get them interested in continuing the four-phase program. The training is provided by three certified gambling counselors.

Q: Does Wisconsin have licensure for problem gambling counselors?

A: We do not have a state certification, though we encourage people to get the national or international certification. We have approximately 80 counselors who have gone through the four-phase program and who are listed as referral sources on our helpline. We also have an additional approximately 20 counselors who are nationally/internationally certified. And several more are in process.

Q: Is video gaming addiction incorporated in the state’s training?

A: We have started doing that. One of our trainers has done some research in that area. We are adding that into our programming for teenagers in school.

Q: Within Wisconsin masters counseling programs, how much time is dedicated to teaching about problem gambling specifically vs. addictions in general?

A: This is purely a guess, but I think that any problem gambling education that takes place is through addictions training.

Q: What types of professionals attend training — social workers, addiction counselors, psychologists, etc?

A: We don’t seem to have as many addiction counselors attending as we used to. We see a lot of social workers and other kinds of counselors who take the training as part of their masters programs.

Q: Does the Wisconsin council have any kind of relationship with schools?

A: We have a relationship with several schools and a few technical colleges to provide an alternative class. While one technical college has put that class on their schedule for three years, nobody has taken it because of other classes they are required to take. We are trying to get a jumpstart on that. We do a program with high school classes as requested.

Q: What’s the likelihood of sports betting becoming legal in Wisconsin?

A: At the present time it is not legal, though some people are trying to work on that. I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere too quickly. However, I think if surrounding states legalize sports betting, Wisconsin will look at it more seriously.

Q: How has the pandemic impacted your services?

A: We at the council are working remotely, so the helpline, which we operate, has continued. We’ve seen less calls than we expected as we thought people would be panicking because casinos were closed. Regarding treatment, one counselor told us they weren’t seeing a lot with gambling but were seeing people with other addictions. And a lot of this counseling is taking place by phone, which is different.

Q: Is Wisconsin allowing telecounseling during the pandemic?

A: It seems so. A lot of counselors are doing it, but I’m not sure if they are part of private or state agencies.

Q: Does Wisconsin provide money for treatment?

A: No. In Wisconsin, there are zero dollars set aside for treatment. As you might imagine, this is very difficult because gamblers seeking help usually have no money. We encourage them to go to GA, but there aren’t many GA groups in rural areas so, unfortunately, the cycle tends to continue.

Q: How many casinos are there in Wisconsin?

A: We have 26, with one in Hudson being the closest to Minnesota. All casinos are owned and operated by 11 tribes, but several tribes have several casinos each.

Q: Does Wisconsin have self-exclusion programs for gamblers?

A: The casinos do, but each one is different in how they administer the program.

Q: What are the challenges you see in Wisconsin?

A: The biggest issue is getting people the help they need. We can refer them all over but if the financial resources aren’t there it doesn’t do that much good. Affordable treatment is one of the biggest issues. Another issue from our perspective is the challenge to get a public awareness effort going all over the state. It’s a battle to reach people in an efficient way.

Q: What are some exciting things as you look ahead?

A: In the short term, we’re hoping that our state conference that’s been rescheduled to August will happen. Beyond that, we have more webinars and more trainings online. We’ve also talked to technical colleges that could do an intro course online. And, of course, we continue to find ways to reach out to people with gambling problems.

A Review of Sports Wagering & Gambling Addiction Studies — Executive Summary

A Review of Sports Wagering & Gambling Addiction Studies — Executive Summary

The following is taken from the National Council on Problem Gambling:

This report on recent research suggests that gambling problems may increase as sports gambling grows explosively at the same time that mobile and online technologies evolve to create seemingly unlimited types of wagering opportunities. Here are important highlights from a special review of more than 140 studies and reports on the connections between sports betting and gambling addiction.

Sports Betting and Online Gambling: A Potentially Volatile Mix
The rate of gambling problems among sports bettors is at least twice as high as among gamblers in general. When sports gambling is conducted online, the rate of problems is even higher, with one study of online sports gamblers indicating that 16% met clinical criteria for gambling disorder and another 13% showed some signs of gambling problems.

Concerns About Modern Sports Gambling
Nearly half of American adults have bet on a sporting event. More and more are betting online, with 45% of sports wagering now taking place on the internet. Today’s online sports betting is particularly concerning for several reasons:

  • Access: internet gambling is available virtually all the time.
    – It’s more convenient and provides more privacy.
    – Early research shows that those who bet using mobile devices have higher rates of problem gambling.
  • Live “In-Play” Betting: today’s sports gamblers can bet on much more than just the winner of a game.
    – Sports gamblers can bet — during the game — on hundreds and potentially thousands of discrete events. Any aspect of a team or player’s performance or activity that can be measured is now a potential wager.
    – This shortens the lag between bet and reward, increasing the speed and frequency of gambling, which increases the risk of problematic behavior.

Professional Athletes Frequently Gamble on Sports
Sports gambling is widespread among professional athletes. While no study of gambling among U.S. professional athletes is publicly available, such studies have been conducted elsewhere. One recent European report showed that 57% of professional athletes surveyed gambled on sports in the previous year, with 8% exhibiting problem gambling behavior, roughly three times greater than the general population.

Youth are at Higher Risk
Data from 2018 shows that more than 75% of students gambled. This is a big concern given the risk-taking behavior that takes place in adolescence and young adulthood, along with gambling being more socially acceptable and glamorized. More than 13% of adolescents wagered money on sports teams according to a study in 2017. Students most often bet on professional football and college basketball. Youth gamblers have higher rates of gambling problems than adults. Males are far more likely than females to both gamble on sports and to experience gambling problems.

Popularity and Growth of Fantasy Sports Gambling
From 2004 to 2018, participation in fantasy sports gambling quadrupled — from 14 million to 57 million. Higher fantasy game participation is associated with significant increases in problem gambling severity.

The Profile of a Sports Bettor
Heavy sports bettors who meet the criteria for clinical gambling disorder are typically male, young (up to age 35), single, fully employed, and have a high level of education. They think sports gambling is more skill than luck, suggesting they’re prone to distortions in thinking. They affiliate with others who favor sports betting, frequently taking advantage of different types of promotions, and are generally highly impulsive.

Marketing Inhibits Ability to Stop Gambling
Aggressive promotions in all forms of marketing and advertising make it more difficult for sports bettors who are trying to curtail their gambling. Ads that emphasize ‘free play,’ tout the ease of placing a bet, or offer risk-free bonuses are particularly problematic.

Looking Ahead
Sports gambling is growing rapidly with significant potential to create or worsen gambling problems. Twenty-three states to date have legalized sports betting. Moreover, it’s clear that substantial prevention and treatment efforts need to be developed and targeted to those most vulnerable to developing an addiction through sports gambling.

The review was conducted by Jeffrey Derevensky, PhD, and Ken Winters, PhD in the autumn of 2018. The full report, A Comprehensive Review of Sports Wagering and Gambling Addiction, is available here.

In Their Own Words – Sandra Kaye’s Story

In Their Own Words – Sandra Kaye’s Story

For me, gambling led to two lifechanging experiences.

The first changed me for the worse. The second connected me to a support network I’d never had before.

My first experience gambling was when my brother gave me $20 and took me to a casino. His intent was to teach me a lesson in how easy it is to throw money away gambling. Our birth father had a gambling addiction that devastated my brother’s childhood and he didn’t want the same thing to happen to me. (I was adopted at an early age and escaped those consequences.) But the problem with that lesson was that I actually turned that $20 into $60, and I guess I became unknowingly hooked.

The next time I gambled was several years later when I was out on a date after I’d been divorced and gone through having breast cancer. I just loved it. So much so that I went back the next day by myself. I enjoyed not having to answer to anyone. I’d been through a lot and figured I deserved to have fun.

I started going to the casinos more often. I’d make the 200-mile drive from Wichita to casinos in Kansas City and sometimes even further to play at larger casinos. It was a big investment of time and money, but I looked forward to it.

What started as recreation and something fun to do, became an obsession. I probably gambled for more than 20 years.

It got to the point where I lost a whole paycheck. That was the most irresponsible thing I’d ever done. I remember thinking, “What the hell?!” I endeavored that that would never happen again, but it did.

Things got scarier and scarier. I lied about where I was going and to friends about the reasons I needed money. At the same time, I felt pressure to provide for my girls. I convinced myself that I would try to win to pay everyone back and pay my bills. It got so bad, I started writing bad checks and stealing.

I couldn’t reconcile the person I had become with the person I thought I was. I didn’t understand then — because I didn’t know about gambling addiction — but now I realize I was in the throes of addiction.

I couldn’t keep up with rent and was continually evicted. I ended up living in my car, which I tried to hide. I then lost my job because I performed badly after being out all night gambling.

I decided I was going to kill myself. I went to the Emergency Room and explained that I felt suicidal. The staff wanted to admit me but I convinced them I’d be OK and left.

A short time later, I found myself back in the hospital parking lot, ready to go back in, but I fell asleep in my car. That’s when the first of several extraordinary moments happened. A security guard knocked on the window, waking me up. She walked me into the hospital, where I was admitted to the Behavior Health unit and for a week had three meals a day and a roof over my head.

The next extraordinary moment occurred when the social worker at the hospital, who knew about gambling addiction, recommended a residential gambling treatment center in Minnesota (Vanguard Center for Gambling Recovery at Project Turnabout) where I could go at no cost. She made the arrangements and, not trusting I wouldn’t try to go back to gambling after treatment, made me think about planning my life after I finished treatment.

I finally told my daughters about everything and they were very supportive. I felt this, too, was extraordinary.

I expected to return to Wichita but Sheryl Anderson, program coordinator at Vanguard, convinced me that I’d be better off starting a new life of sober living in Minneapolis, where I could live with other recovering addicts and learn how to build a life without gambling. Another extraordinary moment in the series was having John Rundquist as my counselor after I left Vanguard. He has made such a difference for me.

Perhaps the crowning extraordinary moment was getting involved in Gamblers Anonymous (GA). Through GA, I have met such wonderful people that have supported me in my recovery and in so many other ways. It is such a gift to be honest, to be accepted and to be understood.

NPGA Brings Advocacy to State Senate

NPGA Brings Advocacy to State Senate

On March 3, 2020, Susan Sheridan Tucker, NPGA executive director, and Brianna Doura-Schawohl, director of advocacy for the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), addressed the Minnesota senate’s Government Finance and Policy and Elections Committee. They advocated for funding for problem gambling in SF1894. The following are some excerpts from this testimony (the complete testimony can be found at www.northstarproblemgambling.org/advocacy.

“We insist that any measure affecting the availability of gambling must provide for those adversely affected by this activity and will oppose any bill that does not include these provisions.”

“Governor Walz recognized March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month. All over the country organizations like ours will make special efforts throughout the month to educate all that problem gambling is an addiction, a public health issue and treatment is available and works.”

“We must not expand an industry without making provisions for the real people and their families who suffer the psychological, emotional and financial consequences from this insidious addiction.”

“Unlike the bill introduced last session, this version fails to set aside any money for treatment, training, prevention, research and responsible gambling. This is a huge missed opportunity for Minnesota to set a new standard for its gaming industry. Nor does it provide enough language to identify whose standards the new commission will use to prevent compulsive and problem gambling.”

“The United States is undergoing a rapid and massive expansion of gambling since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Murphy vs. NCAA in May 2018. NCPG and the NPGA urge including the following four principles in the bill.”

  1. Ensure that any expansion legislation includes dedicated funds to prevent and treat gambling addiction.
  2. Require operators to implement responsible gaming programs that include comprehensive employee training, access to self-exclusion programs, ability to set limits on time and money spent on betting, and specific requirements for the inclusion of help/prevention messages in external marketing.
  3. Identify an agency or entity with the tools and expertise to enforce responsible gaming requirements and create a comprehensive self-exclusion program.
  4. Conduct research on the prevalence of gambling addiction prior to expansion and at regular periods thereafter in order to monitor impacts of gambling and have data that will support evidence-based mitigation efforts.

“Why wouldn’t Minnesota want to include consumer protection tools? Gaming regulators around the world are adopting more responsible gambling programs because they have made this connection and acknowledge they would prefer to have healthy players participate in their business.”

“We ask that before this bill goes any further, please build in the provisions NPGA and NCPG support. Any and all gambling expansion should mandate adequate consumer protections and set aside at least 1% of the funds from the tax revenue to support Minnesota’s problem gambling programs. We look forward to working with the authors of the bill to ensure that any expansion of sports betting comes with the greatest benefit to the state, at the least risk to its citizens.”

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