Virginia Experts Assess Gambling Addiction Programs’ Success

Virginia is one of the states that have been striving to curb high gambling addiction rates in the context of the ongoing expansion of gambling and has been successful at it. 

As reported earlier, according to Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health’s director, Carolyn Hawley, her team reached a massive 973% jump in the number of callers between 2019 and 2023. 

Despite the tricky and dangerous nature of gambling addiction trends, the treatment system put together by Hawley and the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Rehabilitation Counseling appears to be running well. 

The department is ranked fourth among masters level rehabilitation and mental health counseling graduate programs and it is also one the largest CACREP-accredited programs in the US. 

The state’s successful treatment efforts have led to a subsequent drop in addiction rates and have received the praise of a series of experts. 

Ex-Gambling Addict Says Gamblers Anonymous Got Him Out of the Rut

In an interview for News 3, former gambling addict Thomas Dozier remembered feeling “peace, serenity” while “being able to listen, being present in the moment” during Gamblers Anonymous meetings, which also pulled him out of the rut. 

“I was sick and tired of being sick and tired,” he explained, referring to the moment he acknowledged he might be dealing with a gambling problem.

He explained that he was interested in the thrill of horse racing but has been in recovery since 2015 when he began to assess his life and ask himself what life changes he could make to not feel the way he did. 

“Oh, I got it. I need to take this gambling part out of my life,” he remembered saying to himself.

Dozier, who is a current board member of the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling, said that he never hit absolute rock bottom but emphasized the effectiveness of the support meetings he attended. 

Treatment Can Help, Hawley Reinforces 

The extended gambling opportunities available today lead to a larger number of “people who develop problems,” explained Hawley, who added prevention is much easier “than coming in and trying to repair people’s lives and family’s lives after so much devastation happened.”

The director added online sports betting and casinos were in the lead in relation to problem gambling while young men were increasingly facing these issues.

After highlighting some of the main signs that may indicate a gambling problem, including spending more time and money than one has planned or can afford, “thinking about gambling a lot,” and ignoring other activities, Hawley said treatment can help. 

The director also spoke about data showing that 96% of the people who received treatment said they gambled less or completely gave up gambling after half a year. 

Players are also allowed to voluntarily exclude themselves from participating in certain forms of gambling.

Having “more information out there from the get-go” is one of the main desiderates, added Hawley.

Currently, Virginia collects 2.5% of the taxes collected from problem gambling. The money reaches the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund.

In June, the amount reached $155,000 in total.

In April 2023, Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Spotsylvania, and Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax proposed the creation of a Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Advisory Committee as a means of tackling the dangerous fallout of the industry.