Local sen. lobbies for gambling addiction awareness
A Hampden lawmaker is pleased that statistics from a national gambling addiction group could help Maine publicize addiction services.
Sen. Debra Plowman, R-Hampden and the GOP senator on the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee, told Capitol News Service she hopes attention on gambling addiction will provide a better referral process between people needing help and state service providers. The committee is considering two options to fund gambling addiction services, following reports from the National Council on Problem Gambling that it received 1,263 calls from Mainers seeking help with a gambling problem in 2009. That statistic clashes with claims during legislative debate that no Mainers have sought help with gambling addiction, reported the news service.
Lee Thompson, who heads the state affiliate of the National Council on Problem Gambling, said calls to the national helpline have grown consistently since the Hollywood Slots facility in Bangor started to operate in 2005, with calls jumping from 118 in 2004 to 1,008 in 2007.
Lawmakers are considering two proposals: a House version that would allocate $70,000 a year toward gambling addiction outreach programs and treatment, and a Senate version that would provide an increasing yearly allocation reaching a cap of $250,000 by 2023. Both reports recommend moving the gambling addiction service funding from the Department of Public Safety to the Office of Substance Abuse.
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