Shine the Light on Problem Gambling:
In Life…When Gambling is No Longer a Game…Losing is NOT an Option!

March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month

Problem Gambling is known as the Hidden Addiction. Unlike other addictions, problem gamblers do not display physical signs. There are no “card marks” on their arms, no “roulette breath,” no “dice eyes,” and no saturation point. While visible symptoms are minimal, problem gamblers are often depressed, anxious, and may have suicidal thoughts. They often neglect family and friends, run up large amounts of debt, and may be involved in illegal activity in order to fund their addiction. Gambling addiction is a diagnosable and treatable mental health disorder. Help and hope are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through the 24/7, Confidential, and Multilingual 888-ADMIT-IT Problem Gambling HelpLine.

This March, Challenge Your Knowledge by Playing The Game of Life: Choose Your Path

The theme for Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM) 2023 is “In Life…When Gambling is No Longer a Game…Losing is NOT an Option!” The FCCG has created an interactive card game which addresses topics and issues related to problem gambling and is loosely based on The Game of Life, a popular board game where players encounter different risks and have to make choices that influence their outcome. Start the game below!

In each round, after first answering a brief trivia question designed to provide you with knowledge about problem gambling, you will choose a card to play from a series of 4 themed decks – WEALTH, CAREER, FAMILY, and ADVENTURE. Each card puts you in a situation where you must CHOOSE A PATH for how to proceed. Choose carefully — the path you take each round will determine whether you earn or lose LIFE POINTS, and ultimately your SCORE.

We all play a part

AWARENESS

By becoming educated about problem gambling you can help the FCCG raise awareness and bring this public health issue to light. Understand it, recognize it, and understand that this is a treatable problem.

STAND WITH US

As gambling continues to be more accessible, the FCCG needs your continued support in order for us to assist those who reach out for help. Contact us for FREE educational and training opportunities and become a responsible gaming advocate.

REMOVE THE STIGMA

Often, people who are suffering with a gambling problem are reluctant to reach out for help. The FCCG helps thousands each year to understand that they’re not alone, and that treatment is available for anyone contacting the 24/7 confidential HelpLine, 888-ADMIT-IT.

Facts about problem gambling

$9B

the estimated social costs per year alone represent billions of dollars

822K

the estimated number of at-risk past-year problem gamblers (adults) in Florida

210K

Florida adults who are currently (past year) diagnosable as disordered gamblers

26%

increase in Florida contacts to 888-ADMIT-IT for problem gambling help over the past year

56%

increase in gamblers age 25 or younger in need of supports since 2019-2020

53%

of problem gamblers started gambling before age 26

$163k

average gambling-related losses of a problem gambler: $163,141

$25k

average gambling debts of a problem gambler: $25,103

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2021-2022 ANNUAL HELPLINE REPORT

Contacts made to the FCCG’s 888-ADMIT-IT Problem Gambling HelpLine during the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year continue to provide evidence that Floridians suffering from the negative effects of a gambling problem are in dire need of immediate supports. This video covers the most notable findings in the 2021-2022 Annual HelpLine data analysis.

HELP AND HOPE ARE AVAILABLE: CALL 888-ADMIT-IT.
THE FCCG IS DEDICATED TO RAISING AWARENESS OF PROBLEM GAMBLING THROUGHOUT FLORIDA AND PROVIDING RESOURCES AND SUPPORT TO ANYONE SUFFERING FROM THIS HIDDEN ADDICTION.

We are the FCCG. We are 888-ADMIT-IT.

Thousands of people contact the 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine each year for help and information, and millions more have been exposed to the number and the services and resources the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling (FCCG) provides to Floridians suffering from the impacts of problem gambling. As the 24/7, Confidential, and Multilingual Problem Gambling HelpLine for the entire state, 888-ADMIT-IT is the gateway to a series of free services which are not available anywhere in Florida, online, or elsewhere. Help seekers receive timely and updated resources as well as up-to-the-minute problem-gambling-related news, research, and information, along with FCCG’s tailored programs and services, available for both gamblers and their loved ones.

A gambling addiction can be devastating. This disease affects a person’s self-worth, their relationships with others, their financial livelihood – and while everyone’s story is unique, there is a common thread that links those who contact the 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine. They are looking for a way to get their lives back on track. For over 30 years, the FCCG has been instilling hope and furnishing help to those affected by problem gambling.

The 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine can be accessed by calling or texting the widely publicized toll-free telephone HelpLine number (888-ADMIT-IT), through Live Chat on the agency’s website (www.gamblinghelp.org), by email (fccg@gamblinghelp.org), with the 888-ADMIT-IT mobile app, or by connecting with the FCCG on Facebook and Twitter.

888-ADMIT-IT is the Only Problem Gambling HelpLine Dedicated to Serving Floridians

PURPOSEFUL

From decades of experience providing help and hope to Floridians suffering from gambling addiction, the FCCG has grown its HelpLine resource database to serve nearly every situation brought about by problem gambling.

PROFESSIONAL

FCCG HelpLine Specialists are trained to provide resources catered to the contact’s unique situation, including immediate access to FCCG HelpLine programs that have been developed specifically for Florida help seekers.

PERSONAL

The FCCG HelpLine utilizes a very strict referral system, offering a variety of problem gambling specific programs, services, and local referral resources, to assist individuals with their specific needs and circumstances.

The 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine is an ever-evolving resource for Floridians. The FCCG is committed to personalized service and prides itself on the relationships built during HelpLine contacts, which are often a one-time opportunity to motivate behavioral change, and to share a message of hope that recovery is possible. In addition to serving individuals suffering from problem gambling and their loved ones, the FCCG 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine furnishes important problem gambling education, information, supports, and training for Florida Professionals, including qualified addictions/mental health/other medical professionals, gambling operators, employers, and others, to assist them in providing services and supports to the population negatively affected by gambling within the Sunshine State.

Gambling addiction can be hard to spot

Learn the signs

Need to gamble with increasing amounts to achieve the desired excitement.

Restless or irritable when trying to cut down or stop gambling.

Repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back on or stop gambling.

Frequent thoughts about gambling (such as reliving past gambling or planning future gambling).

Often gambling when feeling distressed.

After losing money gambling, often returning to get even. (This is referred to as "chasing" one's losses.)

Lying to hide gambling activity.

Risking or losing a close relationship, a job, or a school or job opportunity because of gambling.

Relying on others to help with money problems caused by gambling.

HEAR FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS OF PROBLEM GAMBLING

THE IMPACTS OF PROBLEM GAMBLING CAN BE DEVASTATING

Knowing what to look for isn’t enough.
People need help.

Our Services

Helpline

The FCCG operates the statewide Problem Gambling HelpLine service 888-ADMIT-IT, providing free, confidential, and multilingual problem gambling assistance via telephone call, text message, email, and live chat available on its gamblinghelp.org website to thousands of contacts each year, from gamblers and their loved ones, to professionals and affected others.

OPPG

For those seeking on-demand options, or who lack insurance, or the ability to pay for in person counseling services, the 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine provides problem gamblers with immediate access to interactive problem gambling supports, through the FCCG’s Online Program for Problem Gamblers (OPPG). Learn more about OPPG.

Peer Connect

The FCCG’s Peer Connect Program provides gamblers and loved ones with the opportunity to speak to someone in recovery, or a loved one of someone in recovery. This program aims to motivate individuals to take necessary steps towards stopping gambling and rebuilding their lives, personally, professionally, and financially when necessary, through peer-to-peer support.

Groups

The 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine offers referrals to self-help groups, such as Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon, which can assist individuals with tools for recovery and can provide insight that they are not dealing with problem gambling alone. Self-help groups offer the opportunity to identify with others through a shared group experience, and furnish ongoing and lifelong support.

Literature

As the flagship of its robust self-help literature offerings, the FCCG’s “A Chance for Change” recovery workbook series closely examines how individuals can escape the grips of problem and compulsive gambling through such strategies as creating and maintaining a plan for positive change, dealing with financial and legal problems, and taking charge of one’s life.

Outreach

The FCCG provides an array of community outreach services as compulsive gambling transcends throughout every aspect of the marketplace. The FCCG has developed population specific prevention, education, and training programs to meet ever-evolving needs, while also being an advocate and a voice in policy concerning gambling addiction in the State of Florida.

Prevention

The FCCG’s prevention and responsible gambling approaches and programs, like other FCCG initiatives, are derived from a gambling neutral perspective and created based upon sound knowledge and understanding of the target population in any specific area, as opposed to a “one-size-fits-all” model or approach.

Trainings

The FCCG provides Florida gambling industry operators with information and training, and has furnished print and collateral materials featuring the 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine for patron access to problem gambling supports, through its Responsible Gambling & Player Protection Program (RGPPP).

Research

The FCCG’s approach to development of compulsive gambling prevention, education, responsible gambling, and other related programming initiatives, is research driven. FCCG programs are based upon evidence-based research, conducted in the State of Florida to assure population appropriateness and effectiveness.

Organizations from all over Florida are joining us in support of PGAM.

Sign Up to Participate

2023 PGAM Supporters 2022 PGAM Supporters

Interested in becoming a 2023 PGAM partner? Email us at pgam@gamblinghelp.org!

Problem gambling is in the press during PGAM.

Newsweek spoke to FCCG about impacts the 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine is seeing in light of the sports betting boom, and in particular the dangers for young males. Read the cover story, These Are the Real Dangers of the Sports Betting Boom for Young Men, as it appears in the 03.31-04.07.23 edition of Newsweek magazine.

Contact the HelpLine

CALL OR TEXT 888-ADMIT-IT (236-4848)

FCCG@gamblinghelp.org

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Shine the Light on Problem Gambling: In Life…When Gambling is No Longer a Game…Losing is NOT an Option!