The numbers of Ohio residents who got treated for gambling addiction has increased over the past two years. Despite some concerns have emerged that the spreading problem is caused by the casino legislation in the region, state officials commented that is not the only reason and explained that the increased availability of the treatment has also been among the main causes for the rise.
According to state reports, the number of people who got diagnosed or treated for gambling disorder has been up by over 11% since 2014. As revealed by the reports, there were 924 people who were treated for problem gambling behaviour back in 2014. In comparison, there were 1,028 people treated by such disorders in 2016.
The first casino in the state was officially established in 2012. Since then, there was a rapid increase in the number of people who suffered from gambling addictions and have been treated from such. Of course, state officials confessed that the increase has been almost certainly related to the fact that casino gambling around the state of Ohio has became more common-spread by the day. Still, they revealed that the increase is also very likely to be caused by the fact that gambling addictions treatment is getting more and more easily accessible, too.
According to recent reports, the number of Ohio residents who have been diagnosed for problem gambling behaviour last year has increased to over 44,000 in comparison to 26,000 diagnosed only a couple of years earlier, in 2014.
As revealed in the reports, the gambling addictions risk slightly increases for the ones who live closer to a casino, and especially the ones who living in metropolitan areas. On the other hand, local casinos and racinos have claimed to be very much engaged with their customers’ addictions, fighting against them as much as they were able to. Some of the casinos in the region have not only been offering brochures related to gambling disorders, but have been taking their employees to special classes aimed at spotting such addictions.
The Casino Control Commission of Ohio, however, also revealed that there was a better understanding of gambling disorders being diagnosed by doctors. As revealed by one of the state officials, mental health agencies have become better at identifying problem gambling behaviour since the opening of the first casino on the territory of Ohio in 2012.
Still, apart from the rapid increase of the people who have been suffering from gambling disorders over the past two and a half years, treatment options have also expanded. At the same time, however, the number of calls to the local gambling problem hotline has decreased by approximately 4,000.
The competent authorities, along with the Ohio’s Casino Control Commission, remain focused on making suitable treatment options available for more customers in the region.
- Author
Daniel Williams
