Years ago, before Chris K. started down a dark path that would see him lose upwards of $800,000 at Chicago-area craps tables, there weren’t video slot machines in truck stops and bars.
There were no cell phone gambling apps itching at the palm of the recovering Northwest Side problem gambler. The prospect of a Chicago mega-casino was far-fetched at best, let alone the thought of legal sports-betting windows at Soldier Field or the United Center.
So now five years removed from his last bet, Chris says he’s concerned about the imminent wave of new gambling options that are poised to nearly double the number of places you can place a bet in Illinois.
”This is just going to flood the place, wherever you walk, every football game you go to, every restaurant you walk into, it seems like you’ll be able to take a bet,” Chris said. “People who are just trying to stop gambling have a fear it’s going to be on every street corner, just about impossible to get away from.
”And there are going to be more people who need help. It’s only a matter of time before they come out of the woodwork.”
Give it a year to 18 months to start accounting for the full scope of social costs resulting from the slew of additional temptations, at least in terms of people reaching out for treatment. That’s according to longtime gambling addiction counselor Bob O’Connor, who has seen the upticks that come with newly state-sanctioned gaming options.
“They’re broken by the time they get to us,” said O’Connor, who has helped hundreds of problem gamblers over his 21 years at the Way Back Inn addiction rehabilitation center in Maywood.
Illinois’ latest gambling expansion presents a double-edged sword for treatment providers, who will receive millions of dollars in new state funding for problem gambling counseling — but will soon be met by scores more people who need it.
While gambling regulators, lawmakers and corporate developers scramble to launch six new casinos, racetrack slots, sportsbooks and more, gambling addiction counselors at the Way Back Inn are beefing up their treatment program for an anticipated influx of residents.
It’s one of just a handful of centers with gambling-specific treatment programs in Illinois, where there are only 63 certified counselors statewide. They’re thrilled for the new funds, but they know addiction follows opportunity.
An estimated 2% to 5% of the population deal with gambling disorders, but research has shown that rate shoots up in areas within 40 miles of a casino or other gambling den, according to Way Back Inn executive director Anita Pindiur.
“The expansion, statistically, just creates more people suffering or experiencing issues with problem gambling disorders,” Pindiur said. “So our latest mission is education, prevention and making sure that people who need treatment are aware that help is out there.”
The high end of that estimated range would put Illinois’ gambling addict population at about 635,000, with nearly 136,000 in Chicago. But only 3% of problem gamblers typically acknowledge a problem and seek treatment.
“Many people don’t realize it’s an issue or that there is treatment available. And for those who do, we don’t have enough counselors in the field who specialize in the disorder,” Pindiur said.
O’Connor says the disorder cuts across all social lines, with his clients ranging in age from 19 to 77, including multi-millionaires and people down to their last dime.
“Gambling’s about self-medication, not money. It’s our job to find the root cause of the problem,” he said.
In tandem with the gambling expansion signed into law June 28, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s budget sets aside $6.8 million for gambling addiction programs through the Illinois Department of Human Services. That’s seven times more than was allotted for gambling counseling in previous state budgets, but it’s hard to say if it’s enough — or how much would be — because the state has no clear measure of how pervasive gambling addiction is in Illinois.
The first order of business, according to Human Services secretary Grace Hou, is conducting a statewide study to measure problem gambling, the first such study Illinois has undertaken in decades.
“We’ve put up, until recently, very little money behind gambling use disorder or services, and we aim to dramatically change that. But we want to do that with the right kind of data and research to back us up,” Hou said during a recent panel discussion with state lawmakers at the Way Back Inn.
State Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, said she was wary of the gambling expansion after past state casino revenue projections fell short. But she said the need for revenue — Pritzker’s office says the gambling expansion will eventually generate more than $400 million annually for the state — tipped the balance.
“If you want to do something good on this end, you have to make sure it’s good for everybody,” Lightford said. “If these riverboats [casinos] are going to materialize, we have to [keep in] mind” these gamblers and ensure there are resources for them.
Officials speak outside the Way Back Inn during an Aug. 30 panel discussion on the state’s gambling expansion and legalization of recreational marijuana. From left: Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary Grace Hou, Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, and state Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside.
Mitchell Armentrout/Sun-Times
Pindiur said the Way Back Inn, which relies on the state for about a third of its budget, hasn’t yet seen the new money, but she said marketing would be their priority, as a recent radio ad campaign resulted in dozens of calls.
The center is also poised to open a new in-patient center in Forest Park, where they expect to welcome more people to their roster of about 40 people receiving treatment for gambling disorder.
“Being prepared for the consequences of this expansion would be wise for all of us, and realizing that it’s not just all going to be jackpots and happy endings,” Pindiur said. “There are definitely going to be two sides to this coin.”
The Way Back Inn offers free evaluations and can be reached at toll-free at (866) 993-6503. For more information on problem gambling support, call 1-800-GAMBLER or text “ILGAMB” to 53342.
