US focuses on tackling gambling addiction

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by Change | 26 Feb 2009

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A major campaign gets underway in the US next week in an effort to highlight the dangers of gambling addiction.

The first week of March is Problem Gambling Awareness week in the US, in a move designed to highlight the dangers of gambling addiction across the country.

As well as focusing on the threat of gambling addiction and increasing public awareness of the problem, the week is also aimed at promoting ways in which people can get help, such as by going to rehab clinics.

The state of Florida is among those that has announced plans to back the campaign, after it was recently revealed that the area had seen a rise in the number of people heading to rehab clinics complaining of a gambling addiction.

"There are more than one million Florida residents who struggle with difficulties due to gambling," said Pat Fowler, executive director of the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling, which is spearheading the campaign in the state.

"As the number of people addicted to gambling increases, a new population of those committing crimes is created."

The Miami Herald recently reported a sharp rise in the number of people suffering from gambling addictions in Florida, with the recent legalisation of blackjack in the state believed to be one of the main reasons behind the jump.

The newspaper reported that more people were now heading to rehab clinics with gambling problems linked to blackjack than with any other form of gambling, beating the previous number one suspect, poker, into second place.

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