In 1979 Dr. Robert Custer started the National Foundation for Study of Pathological Gambling. He invited Sheila and me to join him. He thought he was going to raise enough money to cover the entire cost of treatment for any gambler who wanted treatment for gambling addiction. We were invited to Las Vegas by Steve Wynn — the only person in the gambling industry back then who would even say the word gambling addiction. We also put him on the board of the NFSTPG. We spent one week meeting with a lot of the top people in Nevada. Our efforts resulted in a check for $10,000 from Wynn. After we returned, we held similar meetings with top executives in Atlantic City, but no one would give us a nickel. We had an addicted gambler in New Jersey who was arrested and was admitted to a pre-trial intervention program. As part of the program he was required to perform a number of hours of community service which he did and funded the NFSTPG. He stayed for about a year until his participation in the pre-trial intervention program ended. And that was the end of Dr. Custer’s dream

In the mid-1980′s, when I was the Executive Director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, Alyce Parker and other officials from Harrah’s met with me to talk about compulsive gambling addiction. They

told me they were interested in posting signs in their casino in Atlantic City to alert customers that help was available for problem gamblers. The CCGNJ had already started a hotline for gamblers in New Jersey — 800 GAMBLER — which actually was available to callers around the country. Harrah’s wanted to post the hotline number in its Atlantic City Casino – something no other casino in the world was doing at that time.

Ironically, just a few weeks before it was going to go up in Harrah’ I got a call to meet with Steve Norton who was executive vice president at Resorts International Inc. which owned one of the casinos in Atlantic City. When we met, he had signs made up saying if you or someone you know has a gambling problem call the CCGNJ hotline 800 GAMBLER. He asked if we would have any objection if Resorts put those signs up. I told him I had no objection and thanked him. The signs went up that day.

A few years later I went to see Chuck Hardwick who was then the Spealer of the New Jersey Assembly. The casino industry was pushing for some piece of legislation, so I got Hardwick to add an amendment that required a line on any casino related advertisement: “if you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help call 1-800 GAMBLER.” It passed and now you see the hotline number posted all over the place, on billboards, in magazines and newspapers and other signs all over the country in casinos..

I think it was early or mid 1990′s that the American Gaming Association was formed. A couple of years later, the National Gambling Impact Study Commission was created. From my memeory, it was shortly after that when we started to hear the words and ideas about Responsible Gaming Programs.

Arnie Wexler CCGC

http://www.aswexler.com/

Compulsive gambling is a progressive disease, much like an addiction to alcohol or drugs. In many cases, the gambling addiction is hidden until the gambler becomes unable to function without gambling, and he or she begins to exclude all other activities from their lives. Inability to stop gambling often results in financial devastation, broken homes, employment problems, criminal acts and suicide attempts.

Since 1980 the American Psychiatric Association has included a diagnosis for Pathological (Compulsive) Gambling in their manual. It is considered a disorder that responds to treatment.

Compulsive gambling has some similarities to other addictions (i.e. chemical addiction or alcoholism). The gambler uses gambling to “get high” or to numb themselves, by escaping into a dream world of gambling. However, compulsive gamblers do not ingest anything and therefore, do not have any visual signs such as track marks, dilated pupils. This adds to the denial of this illness, since the person still appears “normal”.

The gambler is eventually able to remove themselves from reality to the point of being totally obsessed with gambling. Eventually, they will do anything to get the money with which to stay in “action”. They will spend all their time and energy developing schemes in order to get the money to continue gambling. Lying becomes a way of life for the gambler. They will try to convince others and themselves that their lies are actually truths.

For the spouse or family member of the gambler,ESPEPIALLY THE SPOUSE OF THE FEMALE GAMBLER, the effects of compulsive gambling can be devastating. Financially, emotionally and mentally, they will be drained of all their energy and resources. The worst thing any family member can ever do is to bail out the compulsive gambler from their financial pressures. Money is the “drug” that the gambler uses.

Our society views gambling as “fun and games”. For many people, that is the case.

Gambling is glamorized in the movies, on TV and in the media. One prime example is the fact that when you open your local newspaper you can get the odds and point spreads on almost every sporting event that will take place, nationwide, even though you can’t place a legal bet in America, except in Las Vegas. Some newspapers are even running “poker” columns and treating the game of poker as a “sport”. Another example is the sports talk shows and nightly news shows that tell you who to pick and what point spreads to take.

The lottery has become a national event on a daily basis. Sometimes it’s the lead story on the nightly news. I’ve seen advertising when a Governor of a state, holds up a lottery ticket and suggests that citizens are helping worthy causes if they buy a lottery ticket. If that same Governor had held up a bottle of alcohol and suggested that sales taxes would help the state, people would be outraged. When I was the Executive Director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of NJ, we hired Gallop to do a survey. Two of the questions were: “have you ever played illegal numbers?” (31 % said they did.) and “do you play legal lottery?’( 81% said they did).

Poker is sweeping the nation and the world. It is the hottest thing on college campuses. It is easier to play poker then it is to buy cigarettes or a can of beer on campuses all over the country. In the 37 years that I have been helping compulsive gamblers, I have never seen anything explode like poker has. One third of all the callers to our help line (888 LAST BET) are either parents of young gamblers or young people who have the problem. I have spoken to college students who play poker day and night. They even play during class. It has become such an enormous craze that poker paraphernalia is one of the biggest selling items in stores, today.

You can’t surf the TV without seeing some kind of poker tournament being televised, and you can’t be on your computer without seeing a pop up about poker or receiving an email inviting you to come to a poker site to play. They often invite you to play for free, and after awhile you will get invited to switch over to live poker games for money.

Some of the people (both youngsters and adults) are becoming addicted to poker. Not everyone who plays, will develop a compulsive gambling problem, but there are those who will get caught up in the craze and then cross that invisible line which will lead to destruction. Since Compulsive Gambling is an impulse disorder, the fact that someone can “play” at any time, day or night and anywhere (home, college dorm or office) increases the chances of the person becoming addicted.

According to a Harvard study a few years ago, 4.67% of young people have a gambling problem. Experts tell us that the earlier a person starts to gamble, the greater the risk of them becoming a compulsive gambler. In another survey, 96% of adult male recovering gamblers’ stated that they started gambling before the age of 14. With this poker explosion, we envision that the average age of people seeking help for a gambling problem will be much younger in the next few years. It seems to me that there must be education and prevention programs for young people (from grade school through college) similar to those programs for drugs and alcohol.

I think it’s important to note that it is not just young people that have this problem.

The gambling experience (both legal and illegal) is much more available in our society, today. This disease cuts across all cultural, social and economic aspects of society. I believe that there are more active compulsive gamblers, today, then in any other time in our history.

I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT YEARS AGO WHEN SOMEONE GOT TO A GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS MEETING IF THERE WERE 1 OR 2 WOMEN AT THE MEETING THAT WAS RARE. TODAY IF YOU GO TO A GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS MEETING IN SOME CASE YOU WILL SEE MORE WOMEN THEN MEN.TWENTY YEARS AGO 5% OF CALLS TO HOTLINES WERE FROM WOMEN TODAY SOME HOTLINES REPORT OVER 55% OF THE CALLS ARE FROM WOMEN GAMBLERS.

SO MANY CASES OF WOMEN ARE SHOWING UP IN COURTS TODAY BECAUSE THEY EMBEZZLED $ TO SUPPORT THERE GAMBLING ADDICTIONS.

ABOUT ½ THE CALLS WE GET ON OUR

888 LAST BET HELPLINE ARE FROM WOMEN NSEEKING HELP

The shame and guilt hits the female gambler harder than with the male,” he said. “When I talk with male gamblers, sometimes it takes two or three times before they go for help. Sometimes it takes two or three years before a female seeks help.

You can get up in the middle of the night and gamble on the Internet in your birthday suit And you don’t even have to put gasoline in your car to travel anyplace.

Last summer, I did a segment for NBC’s “Today” show about gambling. A 57-year-old woman videotaped it and watched it at least once a week. She finally called A YEAR LATER for help.

There is help for the compulsive gambler and their families in the form of Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon, internationally. Gamblers Anonymous is a 12- step, self help program for the compulsive gambler. Gam-Anon is for those affected by a gambling problem.

Some people may have a need for professional treatment services, as well. Unfortunately, there are not that many facilities available. In addition, when the gambler “bottoms out”, he/ or she usually has no funds to pay for these services. Most insurance companies do not cover compulsive gambling treatment. A few states have funded programs, but more is needed.

People need to understand that although compulsive gambling is a devastating addiction, you can recover and live a productive and wonderful life. I know from my own experience that this is possible. I, like many others, lived every day in the grips of hopelessness because I couldn’t stop gambling. I used to go to bed at night hoping and praying that I would not wake up so that I wouldn’t have to face the next day. Today, I can’t wait to wake up in the morning and enjoy another day without gambling.

ARNIE WEXLER CCCG

Arnie and his wife Sheila run a consulting firm to help educate the public on the problem of compulsive gambling. They can be reached at www.aswexler.com .

You can’t surf the TV without seeing some kind of poker tournament being televised, and you can’t be on your computer without seeing a pop up about poker or receiving an email inviting you to come to a poker site to play.

Some of the people (both youngsters and adults) are becoming addicted to poker. Not everyone who plays, will develop a compulsive gambling problem, but there are those who will get caught up in the craze and then cross that invisible line which will lead to destruction.

It is very easy for someone to get “hooked” on poker. It is readily available (24 hours a day). In some cases (via the internet) you never have to leave your home or office. You don’t even need to get dressed. The game of poker is quick and socially acceptable.

It is the kind of gambling experience that fits very well with someone who has an impulse disorder like compulsive gambling. It holds a special danger for those who are already at risk, or compulsive gamblers in recovery. We have seen recovering gamblers relapse into their addiction as the result of being tempted by the poker craze.

Almost every day, we get emails ( aswexler@aol.com) or hot line calls (888- LAST BET) from people asking for help about their poker addiction. Some of the requests come from parents of youngsters (as young as 14). Others vary from teens to seniors, men and women as well.

The American Psychiatric Association describes Pathological Gambling as an impulse disorder. The criteria they use to diagnose this disorder is as follows:

Persistent and recurrent maladaptive gambling behavior as indicated by at least five of the following:

1. is preoccupied with gambling (e.g., preoccupied with reliving past gambling experiences, handicapping or planning the next venture, or thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble)

2. needs to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement

3. has repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop gambling

4. is restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop gambling

5. gambles as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a dysphoric mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, depression.

6. after losing money gambling, often returns another day in order to get even (“chasing” one’s losses)

7. lies to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling

8. has committed illegal acts, such as forgery, fraud, theft, or embezzlement, in order to finance gambling

9. has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of gambling

10.relies on others to provide money to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling

26 May 2006

by Ed Vogel

Las Vegas Review Journal Professional poker player and television commentator Howard Lederer said the charm of poker is that “people at home believe they can be part of it. Anyone can win. Occasionally you get a guy who has a lucky run.” Lederer maintained it would hard to become a compulsive poker player “based on the skill element. It is a skill-based game.” “You may have the skills,” Wexler told Lederer. “The kids all over America  think they all can be professional poker players,” added Wexler, who called for television to start empathizing the potential problems of poker playing. I run a National helpline for gamblers 888 LAST BET and 1/3 of all the calls are coming from young people from age 12 – 30 or the parents of these young people.

DO COMPULSIVE GAMBLERS EVER MAKE MONEY GAMBLING ?

Compulsive gamblers sometimes show a profit from a single session but in the end they cannot keep it. They will lose it all and more because of their addiction.

Compulsive gamblers who want to recover and get a stress free life must find a “sponsor” someone who will do their thinking for them. A “sponsor” should be someone who has been in recovery for some time and has a real knowledge of how compulsive gamblers feel. After some time in recovery their brain will start to function normally and they will see their problem for what it is: a health and wealth issue. They will become productive on their job and become a good father or husband.   Recovery is a process and does not happen without a lot of work. The gambler must choose to make a moral and financial inventory. People can and do recover.

ARNIE WEXLER CCGC

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH  GAMBLING  CALL ME 888 LAST BET www.aswexler.com

There are ads in newspapers for 800 and 900 numbers that sell information to gamblers. Some of these ads read : “Get the game of the month free”, “We pick 75% winners”, “Last week we went 11 for 12”, and “ Get our lock of the week”.

I still can’t believe that newspapers carry ads from these so called handicappers, who are really scandicappers. It’s also interesting to note how often the information is incorrect.

I remember going to speak at Northwestern University a few years ago. That day I read in USA Today that Danny Sheridan wrote: “Northwestern was a million to one to win the Big 10”. Well, they did win the Big 10 and went to the Rose bowl. I also remember when the Dallas Morning News had a gorilla in the Dallas Zoo make football picks for them. The gorillas’ picks were doing better than the sports writers.

If you read the Sports Illustrated Story, written by Tim Layden in April of 1995 about gambling on the college campus, you now know what every youth on a college campus knows; gambling is running rampid on every college campus. Odds and point spreads have become a normal topic of conversation amongst these students. Gambling is as available as a can of beer or a pack of cigarettes and the student bookmakers get the lines they use straight out of their local newspapers.

In 1982 I was involved with trying to help a compulsive gambler who was an ex college star athlete. He owed $350,000 in gambling debts. It all started five years before when he played a football ticket for $5. No doubt the person providing the football ticket got the lines from their local newspaper.

Picture the following scenario: A young man uses the lines and odds from his local newspaper and uses it to set up a bookmaking operation in the local town pub. A law officer comes in and arrests the bookmaker and players. The next day the headline in the paper says: “ John Doe Arrested For Bookmaking and Hank Smith Arrested For Illegally Betting”. Hypocrisy you say? The very newspaper that carried the lines, now is carrying this headline.

It seems to me that the message we are sending the youth of America is: Education is not necessary. You will be able to make your life fortune by pulling a slot machine , buying a lottery ticket or winning a bet on a game.

The NCAA understands this issue as they have discussed taking away press credentials at the Final Four, from newspapers that carry the lines.

Sports betting is a big problem for compulsive gamblers. I used to run a national hotline and 47% of the callers were sports bettors. Because compulsive gambling is an Impulse Control Disorder (as stated by the American Psychiatric Association), reading the lines in the newspaper can often trigger a gambling binge. Some recovering compulsive gamblers can’t buy a newspaper because of the anxiety it causes. I don’t see much difference between casinos serving free drinks to an alcoholic or newspapers putting lines out for compulsive gamblers to read.

Years ago only some newspapers carried the line. Now you can rarely pick up a newspaper that doesn’t. You also never heard electronic media discussing odds. Today it is common to hear such a discussion. Recently someone told me that they heard a commentator on a national TV football game say: “They covered the spread.”

• Years ago I was on a TV show with Howard Cossell (ABC Sports Beat). The topic was: Does the media encourage the public to gamble? Bobby Knight, Indiana basketball coach, said: “A newspaper who published point spreads should also publish names and addresses of services that render to prostitutes. They practically have the same legality in every one of our states, and I can’t see why one is any better than the other.” On the same show former baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn said: “Anything that encourages gambling on team sports bothers me. We all look hypocritical but than why are we putting up the odds unless we are trying to encourage it.” David Stern, NBA commissioner said: “We don’t want the weeks’ grocery money to be bet on the outcome of a particular sporting event.”

I would like to pose a few questions:

• Do point spreads in newspapers cause a proliferation of gambling?

• Do people see point spreads in the newspaper and think it is legal to place a bet?

• Does the media entice people to gamble?

• Does the media have any responsibility for the increase in numbers of compulsive gamblers in America?

• Does the media give the appearance that it promotes and condones gambling?

I think the responsible thing to do would be for newspapers to carry a public service message (Need Help For A Gambling Problem? Call: 1-888 LAST BET).

written by:

Arnie Wexler

Arnie and Sheila Wexler Associates

213 3RD Avenue

Bradley Beach, NJ 07720

561 200 0165

Goldman Sachs was having their clients gambling with their money when they took no risk and only had a win win situation for them selfs.

Is the stock market the biggest roulette wheel in America?

Was Goldman Sachs pushing individual products into numerous borrowing tools to effect huge fee income and passing risk to 3rd parties with no one being concerned with the inevitable day of reckoning.With Poor or neglectful oversight by industry and government.

U.S. Sen. Claire “Bear” McCaskill said “You are the bookie. You are the house. You have less oversight and less regulation … than a pit boss in Las Vegas,” she said. Later, she added, “You think you’re so smart. Any street gambler would never place a bet with a bookie or with the house with the record that is revealed in the documents that this committee has gathered”

Boy was she right.

What was the difference buying this product from Goldman Sachs or buying a junk bond ? At least you knew when you bought a junk bond it was a junk bond !.

You might have had a better chance to make money if you bought a lottery ticket

The systemic problem of gambling effected Wall Street, Banking, Government and Public betting on the come. By placing bets in the mortgage area, credit card business, hedge funds, products that will recover if mistakes or poor judgment without a “what-if” analysis brings disaster.

Lets look at the things that have gone on in the last few years —–

Allowing greed driven euphoria to encourage individuals to bet on the come that a 100 -125% loan to value on their primary residence will be mitigated by nonstop increases in real estate value.

Encouraging increases in credit card debt to have today and pay for in tomorrow dollars at the interest rate as high as 20% or more. Credit agencies lack of analysis and true valuations of assets and liabilities moved to back burner so fat fees could be earned. Governments usual inept involvement forgetting the debacle of the early 1980′s with the savings and loans associations.

Corporate salaries and bonuses not realistic with performance and accountability .

All we hear today are comments about various companies “bets”, including Wall Street, Main Street, all with negative results.Lets also look at day traders who are betting on the next buy or sale of a stock to make themselves rich; but in the end, they are just like poker players, betting on the next turn of the card. Customers are allowed to buy stocks with money that they don’t necessarily have, by buying on “margin”.

When are we going to realize that the underlying problem of the current economic crisis is greed? Greed that fueled the gambling to achieve the dream of businesses and individuals accumulating wealth without the thought of accountability and responsibility?

I run a help line for compulsive gamblers

888 LAST BET)

And in the last year, many of the calls are from gamblers who have been gambling in the financial markets. Some of them are stock brokers / executives, working in the financial field.

Arnie Wexler
Arnie & Sheila Wexler Associates
Boynton Beach, FL
954-501-5270

“Playoff games and the Super Bowl are to the compulsive gamblers what New Year’s Eve is to the alcoholic,” says Arnie Wexler, a leading expert on the subject of compulsive gambling and a recovering compulsive gambler himself.

According to the National Gambling Study Commission, there are 5 million compulsive gamblers and 15 million at risk in the U.S.

“I have spoken to more compulsive gamblers than anyone else in America and have gotten hundreds of phone calls after playoff games and the Super Bowl from compulsive gamblers,” Wexler says. “Some have spoken about embezzlements, white-collar crimes and destroying themselves and their families. Others were so desperate that they were contemplating suicide. ”

“Over the years, I have also spoken to many college and professional athletes who had a gambling problem,” Wexler says. “In fact, an NCAA study a few years ago noted that there is a disturbing trend of gambling among athletes in college. Do you think that these people will get into the pros and then just stop gambling? ”

“Compulsive gamblers are very vulnerable during the NFL post season because they are looking for the ‘lock bet,’ Wexler says. “The media hype juices the gambler and — as this is an impulse disorder — many compulsive gamblers will be in action. And I wonder if any players might have a bet on the games. ”

“With all the games and the media hype about odds and betting lines, there is an explosion of betting on these games,” Wexler continues. “I can’t believe that newspapers carry ads from these so-called handicappers, who are really ‘scandicappers.’ It’s also interesting to note how often the information is incorrect. ”

“I remember when Skip Ballis, then of the Dallas Morning News, had a gorilla in the Dallas Zoo make football picks for them,” Wexler says. “The gorilla’s picks were doing better than the sports writers. I think the responsible thing to do would be for newspapers, radio and TV shows to carry a public service message. “