State budget woes could be hard on people in this area dealing with problem gambling, several of those involved with the issue said.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed a series of steps to increase gambling revenue by $267 million to $3.1 billion in the 2011-12 budget while cutting revenues for prevention and recovery from gambling problems. A final budget is due by April 1.
"It appears that New York state has decided to balance the budget on the losses of New Yorkers while cutting community-based services that can help prevent those losses from becoming overwhelming," LEAF Executive Director Julia Dostal said.
The mission of Leatherstocking Education on Alcoholism and Addictions is to address concerns about alcoholism, other drug addictions, and associated problems, according to its website.
The agency receives $60,000 a year from the state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services for problem gambling prevention services. It is the only such agency in the area that receives funds that come to OASAS from the New York State Lottery.
A reduction in funds will mean the prevention efforts that are under way could be cut back, she said. LEAF focuses on education and awareness of gambling problems, with an emphasis on youth, to prevent problem behavior from beginning.
Twenty percent of state students in grades 7 to 12, almost 300,000, are at risk for or currently have a gambling problem, according to OASAS.
The agency also refers people to outside services and counseling.
"We try and help people however we can," whether it be referrals to Gamblers Anonymous, or just information, LEAF community educator Carol Mandigo said.
GA is a fellowship of men and women who share their experiences dealing with gambling and help others to recover from a gambling problem, according to its website.
The problems will increase if gambling is expanded, Dostal said.
Where there is more access to gambling in the general population, studies have shown there are more gambling problems, she said. This includes bankruptcies, suicides and people seeking help, she said.
Education
Among its efforts is a pilot program being done for students in grades 3 to 5 at Valleyview and Riverside Elementary schools that includes problem gambling in a unit on financial literacy.
"If we start early, the young people have the best chance of success," Dostal said.
Valleyview fourth-grade teacher Mike Dutcher said the program has provided some valuable lessons.
Several of his students agreed. "Gambling is not good," Abigail Thorsland said. "Saving is awesome," Tyler Henderson said. It allows you to buy the things you want, he said.
Paul Zimmer said that "gambling is an easy way to lose everything. If you do it, you should set a limit."
Problem Gambling
According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, 85 percent of adults have gambled at one time. While most do so responsibly, 2 percent to 3 percent become problem gamblers, meaning they gamble despite negative consequences; another 1 percent develop more serious problems.
One of these is a Delaware County woman who identified herself only as Veronica because she is a member of Gamblers Anonymous in Oneonta.
There are about five people in the group, which meets once a week at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.
"I was fortunate my husband said enough is enough," before she went for help in 2006, Veronica said. But it resulted in a second mortgage on their home, she said. She was afraid would lose her husband if she didn't stop.
She was a casino gambler whose game was blackjack, she said. The problem started to grow in 2005 after a trip to the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona made her realize how close the resort actually was.
She had gone to casinos in Las Vegas before and could control her problem because eventually she had to leave, she said. But knowing the casino was so close, "it was such a pull, she said.
She retired from her job, though she did not want to give details, in 2001, and was involved with friends, gardening and reading.
Once she started to travel alone to Turning Stone once or twice a week, "I didn't care about anything else," she said.
She got to the point that she would ask a stranger to cash a check when she exceeded her limit at the casino. To give an example of the insidious nature of the disease, she had lost $3,000 one time in a Las Vegas casino before this started and was shocked.
By 2006 that was no longer a big deal. "It was peanuts," she said.
"You only feel alive when you are playing," Veronica said.
When she got into the casino, "I wouldn't leave the table unless I had to go to the bathroom," she said.
I really didn't like that person (she'd become), she said. "There was no enjoyment." If she went to a show at the resort, she couldn't wait for it to get over, she said.
"You become a liar. It's against everything I believe in," she said.
It took her almost six months of meetings and counseling "to stop climbing the walls," she said. "It was like going through withdrawal; it was an addiction."
She has been going to GA weekly meetings since 2006. Having a relatively local meeting has been very helpful.
"Without GA, we probably wouldn't have a house," she said.
"It's not something I am proud of," but she shared her story because she wanted to help others, she said.
Casino Response
Speaking from Turning Stone on Thursday, table game shift manager Ken Martin said occasionally he observes people who may have a problem and measures are in place.
It may happen a couple of times a year, he said. It's a rare occurrence at the complex that draws million of people a year.
Besides casinos, the complex has such entertainment as shows, events, golf and a spa.
"We want people to have an enjoyable entertainment experience," he said.
Occasionally gamblers ask for help and casino staff direct them to the state Council on Problem Gambling at (877) 846-7369. The number is on brochures and around the casino.
If people are seen sitting with their heads down, crying, or showing other possibly desperate behavior, a staff member would pull the people aside and tell them they may have a problem, he said.
Some people opt to exclude themselves and casino staff help them get placed on a list and they can't return for at least a year, he said.
Seniors
Tom Briggs, Delaware County Office of the Aging executive director, said that seniors tend to have more free time than other segments of the population, and they fill it with a variety of activities.
For some this can include a trip to a casino or other forms of gambling.
In most cases it's a "healthy diversion," but there are people "who can't put the brakes on," he said.
If people are looking for assistance they will be referred to the Oneonta Gamblers Anonymous, but it is not a major issue for the agency, he said.
At the Otsego County Office for the Aging, Executive Director Frances Wright said she had no knowledge about the issue.
State Response
We have to do everything possible to protect our citizens," Jim Maney, New York Council on Problem Gambling executive director, said.
It could be a problem because, "at the same time that the state is expanding its gambling revenues, it is planning to cut its budget for prevention and recovery programs," he said.
The agency doesn't have position on the pros or cons of gambling, he said.
But he didn't think an expansion should be undertaken until the infrastructure is in place to help those who need it. A social impact study should be done, he said.
It's like building an Interstate and leaving off the guardrails, he said.
At the New York State Lottery, spokeswoman Carolyn Hapeman said problem gambling is an issue "we take very seriously."
The agency's role is to run the games and raise revenue for the state, she said. It works closely with OASAS to open communications and provide services to those who need help. This includes publicizing the Council's number, (877) 846-7369.
Lottery Sellers
The opinion of the situation was mixed at two Oneonta sellers of lottery tickets. At Stewart's on River Street, manager Matt Sivacek said that there are some consistent customers for such items as scratch-off tickets, but he has seen nothing to indicate it was anything but recreational.
This includes Jesse Banks of Oneonta, who is a retired stone mason. He was working on several instant scratch-off lottery tickets on Friday afternoon.
"It's a hobby," like hunting and fishing, he said. He spends about $50 a month on the games and lately he has been winning, he said. He does not have a problem but knows others who do, he said.
It would be wrong to cut back on services, he said. If the revenues are going to increase, so should funding for prevention and treatment, he said.
At Palace Cigar on Main Street, owner Tom Oliver said he has seen people over the years who appeared to have a problem and he advised them to call the state hotline.
He hasn't seen those people lately, but with the number of businesses that can sell lotto products expanding, they may be in another location, he said.
Seward Comment
State Sen. James Seward, R-Milford, said he is still looking at the details of the Cuomo proposal. While he is uncomfortable with a greater reliance on gambling for state revenue, if it is going on anyway, it might as well be state sponsored, brining additional revenue.
He said if that is the case, the funds going to prevention and treatment should increase.
"It's the right thing to do," he said.
