Nevada Cuts Funding for Gambling Addition
The New York Times reports:
Gordie Greco was hooked on gambling almost from the first time he shot dice at age 16. And for 35 years, gambling was his life: he worked in the industry and made his own bets on sports and horses.
But when he was laid off in 2006, he made his way to the Las Vegas Problem Gambling Center, and it has now been years since he placed a bet.
Treatment programs for gambling addicts in the nation’s casino capital are in jeopardy, however, as Nevada lawmakers look for ways to close the state’s huge budget shortfall. The governor has proposed cutting financing for organizations like the center, which could leave those trying to quit with few places to turn.
“Getting help was the best thing I’ve ever done,” said Mr. Greco, 61, who now volunteers helping other gambling addicts. “These cuts are going to cause a lot of despair. Gamblers don’t have any money for treatment.”
More than 5 percent of Nevada’s residents are either pathological or problem gamblers, according to a 2002 study — almost twice the rate of the nation’s overall population.
Since 2005, a $2 fee on slot machines has helped pay for research, prevention and treatment programs for problem gamblers. In 2009, the slot machine fees brought in about $1.5 million.
But with a budget deficit of $1.5 billion — almost half of the state’s total operating budget from the previous fiscal year — Gov. Brian Sandoval, a Republican, has proposed redirecting half of that revenue to the general fund. The move would make permanent a stopgap measure that the Legislature took last year.
