Understanding Signs Of Gambling Addiction

HELLO, I'M JENNIFER CRAWFORD. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. AS COLLEGE BASKETBALL CONTINUES TO SEE A SURGE IN RATINGS. MARCH MADNESS IS ALSO DOMINATING ANOTHER AREA GAMBLING. THE AMERICAN GAMING ASSOCIATION ESTIMATES AMERICANS WILL BET MORE THAN 3.3 BILLION DOLLARS ON THIS YEAR'S MEN'S AND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS. THAT'S A 54% INCREASE OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS AS THE POPULARITY IS BETTING SORES. SO DOES THE NUMBER OF CALLS TO FLORIDA'S GAMBLING ADDICTION. HELPLINE. JOINING US NOW TO TALK ABOUT THE RISE IN ONLINE GAMBLING IS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE FLORIDA COUNCIL ON COMPULSIVE GAMBLING. JENNIFER KRUSE, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE TREND IN GAMBLING ADDICTION IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA? >> SO DEFINITELY WITH THAT. IT INCREASED ACCESSIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY, RIGHT? SO IT'S THE PERCEPTION AND THE OVERALL NORMALIZATION THAT WE SEE OF GAMBLING IN SOCIETY. THERE'S DEFINITELY AN INCREASE AND VULNERABILITY TO PROBLEM GAMBLING. SO, YOU KNOW, THE MORE BUT THE MORE SOMEONE CAN ACCESS AN ACTIVITY AND THE MORE ACCEPTABLE IT IS, ESPECIALLY WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH THE ONLINE APPS. AND THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THAT THE IESE AND ACCESS TO MONEY TO CREDIT. YOU'RE NOT QUALIFYING. A LAW SAYS YOU'RE NOT SEEING THE MONEY. LEAVE YOUR HANDS. SO IT'S A LOT EASIER TO GET ADDICTED. A LOT MORE QUICKLY. >> WHAT ARE THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF PEOPLE THAT ARE CALLING IN FOR HELP? HOW YOUNG ARE THE GAMBLERS THAT ARE ADDICTED AND HOW OLD ARE THEY? >> SO WE'RE REALLY SEEING SIMILAR TRENDS TO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING ACROSS THE COUNTRY HERE IN FLORIDA. WE'RE SEEING MORE YOUNGER MEN, 97%. WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR DATA FROM THE 2025 CALENDAR YEAR, 97% WERE MALE AND 64% WERE UNDER THE AGE OF 30. SO THAT'S HUGE. I'M WHEN YOU LOOKED AT THE ONLINE SPORTS BETTERS VERSUS PEOPLE WHO ARE HER CONTACTING THE HELPLINE AND HAVING PROBLEMS WITH OTHER TYPES OF GAMBLING. THE DIFFERENCE IN AGE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 30, IT'S ONLY ABOUT 27% OF PEOPLE THAT ARE GAMBLING ON OTHER TYPES OF ACTIVITIES. SO DEFINITELY A YOUNGER MALE WHITE. THEY TEND TO BE IN A PREDOMINANTLY WHITE. 40 49% WERE WHITE AND THEIR STARTING GAMBLING MUCH EARLIER AND LIVES ALMOST A QUARTER. SO 24% SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY HAD STARTED BEFORE THE AGE OF 20 AND AND THEY'RE ALSO REPORTING THAT BEING INFLUENCED BY OTHERS TO GAMBLING IS WHAT'S WE KNOW REALLY THE PROPENSITY FOR THEM TO DEVELOP A PROBLEM WITH IT. SO IT'S IT'S THAT PEER PRESSURE AND THAT SOCIAL, YOU KNOW, HEY, YOU KNOW, LET'S GO TO THE TO THE BAR. LET'S WATCH THE GAME AND EVERYBODY'S BEDDING AND EVERYBODY'S DOING IT. SO LET'S ALL DO IT. >> HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE ADDICTED? YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ENJOYING IT. YOU'RE HAVING FUN. BUT WHAT ARE THE SIGNS WHEN IT'S TRULY BECOMING A PROBLEM? >> YOU KNOW, AND WHAT WE TELL PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, WE OPERATE THE 24 7.80, DIDN'T MINUTE PROBLEM, GAMBLING HELPLINE. SO, YOU KNOW THAT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THERE IS HELP AND HOPE AND SUPPORTS AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE WHO DO DEVELOP A PROBLEM. GAMBLING, LIKE YOU SAID, IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FUN WHEN IT'S NO LONGER FUN WHEN IT'S NEGATIVELY IMPACTING YOUR LIFE WHEN IT'S CAUSING PROBLEMS AND ANY AREA OF YOUR LIFE AND MAY BE TIME TO SEEK HELP. A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE ACQUITTED TO FINANCIAL IMPACTS AND FINANCIAL IMPACTS ARE DEFINITELY ONE ASPECT OF OF THE DISORDER AND OF OF PEOPLE WHO DEVELOP A PROBLEM. BUT, YOU KNOW, CAN AFFECT YOUR LIFE AND OTHER WAYS TOO RELATIONSHIP PROBLEM. WE'RE SEEING VERY HIGH INCREASE TRENDS AND PEOPLE THAT ARE HAVING PROBLEMS THAT WORK AND SCHOOL NOW, YOU KNOW, RELATED TO THEIR GAMBLING. SO AGAIN, THAT THAT FACTORS INTO THE ACCESSIBILITY FACTOR. SO ANY TIME IS NEGATIVELY IMPACTING YOUR LIFE? NO, IT'S IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A FUN RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY. >> THAT IF SOMEONE IS A SHAME THAT THEY SAY, HEY, I I AM ADDICTED, BUT THEY DON'T WANT TO BE SEEN GETTING HELP. WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE ON HOW SOMEONE CAN SEEK HELP WHEN THEY THEY WANT TO DO IT DISCREETLY OR THEY WANT TO, YOU KNOW, BE ANONYMOUS. >> SURE. SO ALL THE HELP THAT WE PROVIDE IS COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS MULTI-LINGUAL CONFIDENTIAL. EVERYTHING STAYS BETWEEN US AND THAT PERSON WHO'S SEEKING HELP. AND, YOU KNOW, IT IS THERE'S A LOT OF SHAME THAT'S ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADDICTION BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND IT QUITE THE SAME WAY THAT THEY DO SUBSTANCE ABUSE, RIGHT? LIKE YOU SEE SOMEBODY THAT'S STRUGGLING WITH ALCOHOL OR DRUGS. THEY HAVE VISIBLE SYMPTOMS. YOU DON'T SEE, YOU KNOW, SLURRED SPEECH OR, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO SMELL IN THE BREATH. THERE'S NO TEST TO DETECT IT IN YOUR BLOOD. BUT WITH A GAMBLING PROBLEM. SO THERE IS THIS SENSE OF SHAME WHERE PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THE ADDICTION AND DON'T DON'T GET IT. THEY THINK IT'S BAD BEHAVIOR WEEK. WELL, AND SO REALLY JUST LETTING PEOPLE KNOW IT'S NOT AT THE EFFECTS. YOUR BRAIN, THE SAME WAY THAT A SUBSTANCE OR CHEMICAL DOES. AND, YOU KNOW, KNOWING THAT THERE'S HELP OUT THERE WERE HERE TO HELP AND THAT HELP IS ACCESSIBLE. 24 7, LIKE I SAID, 88 AND THEN IT AND IT IS CONFIDENTIAL. >> WHAT SHOULD BE DONE AS A COMMUNITY AS A STATE TO HELP REDUCE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE GETTING ADDICTED TO SPORTS GAMBLING. >> SO CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, CONSUMER PROTECTIONS INCREASE CONSUMER PROTECTIONS ARE ALWAYS IMPORTANT PROVIDING ACCESS TO PROBLEM. GAMBLING SUPPORTS LIKE THE HELPLINE ON LETTING PEOPLE KNOW THAT THERE'S HELP OUT THERE FOR THEM. YOU KNOW THAT THAT DOESN'T COST ANYTHING AND THAT THEY CAN REACH OUT TO ANY TIME OF THE DAY OR NIGHT THAT THEY NEED HELP. YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY OFFERING TOOLS SUCH AS YOU KNOW, LIMIT SETTING WHETHER THAT'S TIME OR MONEY LIMITS THAT CAN BE HELPFUL TO THE APPS. AND JUST, YOU KNOW, AS A SOCIETY, KNOWING WHEN YOU INCREASE PARTICIPATION AND ACTIVITY THAT HAS A KNOWN ADDICTIVE COMPONENT TO IT, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE AN INCREASED POPULATION THAT'S GOING TO EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS AS A RESULT. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT PROBLEM AND HOW TO SOLVE A THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.