Denver Broncos receiver had major gambling-induced financial troubles prior to suicide

An article published Wednesday in the Huffington Post reveals that Kenny McKinley, the 23-year-old wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, had a gambling problem and was deep in debt prior to his Sept. 21 suicide.

According to "Kenny McKinley gambling problem: Broncos receiver was deep in debt before suicide," by Arnie Stapleton and P. Solomon Banda, McKinley purchased the gun with which he would later kill himself from teammate Jabar Gaffney months ago. Gaffney said McKinley wanted the gun for self-protection.

Click here to read the full article.

Gambling has exploded in the last 40 years as an acceptable social activity

The number of states in the United States with some form of gambling increased from 2 in 1972 to 48 in 1999.

In a 1999 report  by the National Opinion Research Center, 86%of adults in the United States reported some gambling in their lifetime and 68% reported some form of gambling in the past year.

Research has found that Native Americans are 4 to 6 times more likely to have pathological gambling problems than the non-Native American population.

As a child growing up in the 50s, gambling was considered a vice and immoral. Today, gambling is a major governmental and church fund raiser.

Times have changed and so has the incidence and prevalence of pathological gambling as a public health issue.

The statistics in this article come from "Implications of American Indian Gambling for Social Work Research and Practice, Social Work,, Volume 55, No. 2, April 2010, pp.139 - 146. For the abstract, click here.

Proposed criteria for DSM-V edition of Disordered Gambling

The work group has proposed that this diagnosis be reclassified from Impulse-Control Disorders Not Elsewhere Classified to Substance-Related Disorders which will be renamed Addiction and Related Disorders

Disordered Gambling

A. Persistent and recurrent maladaptive gambling behavior as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

1. is preoccupied with gambling (e.g., preoccupied with reliving past gambling experiences, handicapping or planning the next venture, or thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble

2. needs to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement

3. has repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop gambling

4. is restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop gambling

5. gambles as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a dysphoric mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, depression)

6. after losing money gambling, often returns another day to get even (“chasing” one’s losses)

7. lies to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling

8. has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of gambling

9. relies on other to provide money to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling

B. The gambling behavior is not better accounted for by a Manic Episode.

Include Pathological (Disordered) Gambling within Addiction and Related Disorders
Pathological (disordered) gambling has commonalities in clinical expression, etiology, comorbidity, physiology and treatment with Substance Use Disorders. These commonalities are addressed in the following selected papers from a relatively large literature:
Blanco C, Hasin DS, Petry N, Stinson FS, Grant BF. 2006. Sex differences in subclinical and DSM-IV pathological gambling: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Psychol Med. 2006 Jul;36(7):943-53.
Cavedini P, Riboldi G, Keller R, D’Annucci A, Bellodi L. . 2002 Frontal lobe dysfunction in pathological gambling patients. Biol Psychiatry 51:334-341.
de Ruiter MB, Veltman DJ, Goudriaan AE, Oosterlaan J, Sjoerds Z, van den Brink W. Response perseveration and ventral prefrontal sensitivity to reward and punishment in male problem gamblers and smokers. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2009 Mar;34(4):1027-38. Epub 2008 Oct 1. PubMed PMID: 18830241.
Gerstein DR, Volberg RA, Toce MT, et al. Gambling Impact and Behavior Study: Report to National Gambling Impact Study Commission. Chicago, IL: National Opinion Research Center; 1999.
Goudriaan AE, Oosterlaan J, de Beurs E, van den Brink W. Neurocognitive functions in pathological gambling: a comparison with alcohol dependence, Tourette syndrome and normal controls. Addiction. 2006 Apr;101(4):534-47. PubMed PMID: 16548933.
Hodgins DC, Currie SR, el-Guebaly N. 2001 Motivational enhancement and self-help treatments for problem gambling. J Consult Clin Psychol. 69:50-57.
Hodgins DC, el-Guebaly N. 2000, Natural and treatment-assisted recovery from gambling problems: A comparison of resolved and active gamblers. Addiction. 95:777-789.
Hodgins, D.C., Currie, S.R., & el-Guebaly, N. 2001. Motivational enhancement and self-help treatments for problem gambling. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69, 50-57.
Kessler RC, Hwang I, LaBrie R, Petukhova M, Sampson NA, Winters KC, Shaffer HJ. 2008. DSM-IV pathological gambling in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Psychol Med. ;38:1351-60
National Research Council. Pathological Gambling: A Critical Review. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 1999.
Petry NM. 2001 Pathological gamblers, with and without substance use disorders, discount delayed rewards at high rates. J Abnorm Psychol; 110:482-487.
Petry NM. 2005. Pathological Gambling: Etiology, Comorbidity and Treatments. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association Press.
Petry NM. 2006. Should the scope of addictive behaviors be broadened to include pathological gambling? Addiction, 101,152-160.
Petry NM, Ammerman Y, Bohl J, Doersch A, Gay H, Kadden R, Molina C, Steinberg K 2006 Cognitive-Behavioral therapy for pathological gamblers. J Consult Clin Psychol 74:555-567.
Petry NM, Stinson FS, Grant BF. 2005. Comorbidity of DSM-IV pathological gambling and psychiatric disorders: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. J Clin Psychiatry. 66:564-574
Potenza MN, Leung HC, Blumberg HP, et al. 2003. An fMRI Stroop task study of ventromedial prefrontal cortical function in pathological gamblers. Am J Psychiatry. 160:1990-1994.
Regard M, Knoch D, Gütling E, Landis T. 2003. Brain damage and addictive behavior: A neuropsychological and electroencephalogram investigation with pathologic gamblers. Cog Behav Neurol. 6:47-53.
Rugle L, Melamed L. 1993. Neuropsychological assessment of attention problems in pathological gamblers. J Nerv Ment Dis. 181:107-112.
Shaffer HJ, Hall MN, Vander Bilt J. 1999. Estimating the prevalence of disordered gambling behavior in the United States and Canada: A research synthesis. Am J Public Health. 89:1369-1376.
Slutske WS, Eisen S, True WR, et al. 2000. Common genetic vulnerability for pathological gambling and alcohol dependence in men. Arch Gen Psychiatry57:666-673.
Welte J, Barnes G, Wieczorek W, Tidwell MC, Parker J. 2001. Alcohol and gambling pathology among U.S. adults. Prevalence, demographic patterns and comorbidity. J Stud Alcohol 62:706-712.
Lower Threshold for Pathological (Disordered) Gambling Diagnosis
Several empirical studies have supported lowering the threshold for a diagnosis of pathological (disordered) gambling. Statistical analyses bearing on this issue are also in progress.
Jiménez-Murcia S, Stinchfield R, Alvarez-Moya E, Jaurrieta N, Bueno B, Granero R, Aymamí MN, Gómez-Peña M, Martínez-Giménez R, Fernández-Aranda F, Vallejo J. 2009. Reliability, validity, and classification accuracy of a Spanish translation of a measure of DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling. J Gambl Stud; 25(1):93-104.
Stinchfield R. 2003. Reliability, validity, and classification accuracy of a measure of DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling. Am J Psychiatry, 160(1):180-2
Stinchfield R, Govoni R, Frisch GR. 2005. DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling: reliability, validity, and classification accuracy. Am J Addict., 14(1):73-82
Eliminate Illegal Act Criterion for Pathological (Disordered) Gambling
The illegal act criterion of pathological (disordered) gambling has been shown to have a low prevalence with its elimination having little or no effect on prevalence and little effect on the information associated with the diagnosis in the aggregate.
Strong DR, Kahler CW. 2007. Evaluation of the continuum of gambling problems using the DSM-IV. Addiction 102:713-721.

Recommendations for severity criteria for this disorder are forthcoming. We encourage you to check our Web site regularly for updates.
A. Persistent and recurrent maladaptive gambling behavior as indicated by five (or more) of the following:
1. is preoccupied with gambling (e.g., preoccupied with reliving past gambling experiences, handicapping or planning the next venture, or thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble)
2. needs to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement
3. has repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop gambling
4. is restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop gambling
5. gambles as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a dysphoric mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, depression)
6. after losing money gambling, often returns another day to get even (“chasing” one’s losses)
7. lies to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling
8. has committed illegal acts such as forgery, fraud theft, or embezzlement to finance gambling
9. has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of gambling
10. relies on other to provide money to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling
B. The gambling behavior is not better accounted for by a Manic Episode.


For more information click here.

How many people of admitted patients at GCASA have gambling problems?

Of the 1050 people admitted to GCASA treatment and residential programs in 2009, 610 were screened for having problems with gambling. Out of the 610, 12 were positive for the screen which is 2% of the group. Unfortunately 440 people admitted were not screened.

GCASA does offer treatment services for people with gambling problems and GCASA offers Gambling prevention programs in both Genesee and Orleans Counties.

The co-occurance of substance abuse and gambling problems is usually predicted to be higher than what we are finding at GCASA. I am not sure why. This area requires more study.

1 in 10 adolescents in New York State has a gambling problem

Video lasts 0:30

Gambling addicton sometimes starts in adolescence.

Good video on gambling addiction. Lasts 7:26

Government loves gambling but it can have a very dark side

GCASA brought Michelle Hadden from the New York State Council on Problem Gambling and a number of other gambling experts to Batavia on March 9,2010 for a workshop.

The Daily News covered the event on March 10, 2010 and here is part of what their article says:

Genesee County is at the "epicenter" of the state's push to expand gambling venues, and that, no doubt, comes at a cost to families and personal finances, said a prevention specialist with the New York Council on Problem Gambling.

The rural counties between Rochester and Buffalo have close access to casinos at Batavia Downs, Hamburg, Niagara Falls and Salamanca. The state has proposed expanding the hours and adding table games at the eight video gaming centers, including at Batavia. That would raise $45 million for a cash-strapped state, Michelle Hadden, the prevention specialist with Problem Gambling, told about 60 people Tuesday at a gambling awareness program.

You can read the whole article by clicking here.

National Problem Gambling Awareness Week 03/07 - 03/13/10

Sunday will launch the National Problem Gambling Awareness Week which will run from 03/07/10 to 03/13/10.

A press release issues on 03/03/10 states in part:

NEW YORK COUNCIL ON PROBLEM GAMBLING ANNOUNCES PROBLEM GAMBLING AWARENESS WEEK, MARCH 7-13, AND URGES NYS GAMBLING INDUSTRY TO LAUNCH A GAMBLING ADVERTISEMENT-FREE WEEK

As part of National Problem Gambling Awareness Week (NPGAW), the New York Council on Problem Gambling asks that all New York state gambling industries consider participating this year and launch a gambling advertisement-free week during the week of March 7 through March 13. Furthermore, the New York Council on Problem Gambling recommends that the unused advertising funds be allocate for a problem gambling awareness campaign instead.

“Many New Yorkers recognize the gambling advertising jingles and know where they can go to gamble,” said New York Council on Problem Gambling Executive Director James Maney. “But very few know the warning signs of problem gambling or where to find help when they need it.”

After the mismanagement at the Batavia Downs and Casino by the Western Region Offtrack Betting Corporation it might be a good thing if they stopped advertising for awhile and donated the savings to the New York Council of Problem Gambling.

Based on the 2006 OASAS Household Survey it is estmated that 5% of adults experienced a gambling problem in the last year and my be in need of treatment. About 10% of students in grades 6-12 experienced a gambling problem in the past year.

GCASA offers Gambling Prevention and Treatment Services in both Genesee and Orleans Counties. In Genesee County, call Jamie Beedham at 585-815-1879, and in Orleans County call Pat Crowley at 585-589-0055.

Most New Yorkers who gamble do so responsibly, but over a million New Yorkers suffer from gambling problems and their problem affects several million more.

While most New Yorkers can identify the jingles and slogans of the Lottery commission encouraging them to gamble and they know where to access gambling activities and games, very few know the warning signs of problem gambling or where to turn for help.

Please join the celebration of National Problem Gambling Awareness Week from the 7th - 13th.

Gambling Awareness Luncheon in Batavia on March 9, 2010

There will be a Gambling Awareness Luncheon and program on Tuesday, March 9,2009 from 11:30 A.M. - 3:00 P.M. at Terry Hills Banquet Facility on Clinton Street Rd. (Rt.33), in Batavia, NY. After lunch Michelle Hadden from the New York Council on Problems Gambling will be speaking along with Dr. John Welte from the Buffal Research Addiction Institute, and Joyce Barrett, a New York Council Gambling Treatment Counselor.

For more information, call Jamie Beedham at 585-815-1879 or email Jamie at jbeedham@gcasa.org.

Click on image to enlarge for easier reading.

Compulsive gambling - What's that?

There is a good article on the Socialworkblog, helpstarts here, web site. I recommend it to you if you would like to understand from a personal perspective how compulsive gambling can develop and the kind of help that is available.

GCASA offers both gambling prevention and treatment services.

To read the article, click here.

Fred Sarkis to speak on gambling addiction in Warsaw, NY on 09/25/09

Click on image to enlarge for easier reading.

Retirement Planning For Dumb People

This is article #4 in a series on Images Of Addiction.

Dedicated Funding for Problem Gambling: A Good Idea For New York State

New York State has one of the highest prevalences of gambling problems in the United States and is one of the few states which sponsors and allows gambling that does not have dedicated funds for treatment.

Legislation is being proposed that would require that 0.5 - 1.00% of gambling revenues support problem gambling services.

Here is a letter prepared by the New York State Council on Problem Gambling which you can use to notifiy your State Senator and Assemblyperson of your support for dedicated funds for problem gambling services funded from the gambling itself.

Click on image to enlarge for easier reading.

Gambling addiction in New Mexico afflicts 40,000 people

Gambling addiction in New Mexico = 40,000 people.

Video lasts 1:52

Has Gambling left you in shock? Where will you turn?

OASAS Commissioner Karen Carpenter-Palumbo speaks about Problem Gambling Awareness Week

OASAS Commissioner Karen Carpenter-Palumbo speaks on Albany TV Channel 9 about Problem Gambling. Video lasts 3:11.

To watch video click here.

Gov. Patterson declares March 1 - 7 as National Problem Gambling Awareness Week

STATE OF NEW YORK
OFFICE OF ALCOHOLISM
AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES
Dianne Henk, 518-457-8299
E-Mail: diannehenk@oasas.state.ny.us
WWW Page www.oasas.state.ny.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, March 1, 2009

PROBLEM GAMBLING: A HIDDEN ADDICTION AFFECTING NEARLY ONE
MILLION NEW YORKERS

March 1-7 is National Problem Gambling Awareness Week

State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) Commissioner Karen M.
Carpenter-Palumbo today said New Yorkers should be aware that unlike an addiction to alcohol
and drugs where there are physical warning signs, problem gambling is a hidden addiction that
affects nearly one million individuals. Governor David A. Paterson has designated March 1-7 as
Problem Gambling Awareness Week in New York to educate New Yorkers on the warning signs
of problem gambling and the availability of services.

“Nearly one million New Yorkers as young as age 12 are dealing with problem gambling, and
that doesn’t include the family members and friends who are also impacted by its devastating
consequences,” said Commissioner Carpenter-Palumbo. “It is our responsibility to let New
Yorkers know how to recognize the signs of problem gambling and direct them to the help they
need through our toll-free HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY."

The new HOPEline offers assistance from clinically trained professionals on a confidential basis.
Crisis and motivational interviewing for callers in need is provided, and 48-hour follow-up calls
are offered. Through this HOPEline, New York’s citizens have access to consumer-focused
addiction crisis support and statewide referrals to services.

The warning signs of problem gambling include: thinking constantly about gambling; increasing
bets to sustain the thrill; exhibiting agitation when cutting back on gambling; gambling as an
escape; "chasing" or trying to offset losses with more gambling; lying to conceal gambling
activity; financing bets through illegal acts; jeopardizing significant relationships with family.
Peter Citrin, now 20 years in recovery from problem gambling, said, “At my lowest point, when
I had lost hope of saving myself, my family and my livelihood, I made a call to the Gambler’s
Anonymous hotline and spoke to a total stranger for what seemed like hours. He told me a lot of
things, but mostly he offered hope. That was the first step of my journey back. Recovery is
nurtured by hope. Not hoping to hit the number or that your horse comes in, but escaping the
cycle of addiction to gambling which has made your home life unmanageable and chaotic. You
do not have to do this alone.”

An OASAS prevalence study found that 5 percent of adults, or 668,000, experienced problem
gambling behaviors within the past year. A survey of 7th through 12th graders found that 10
percent, or 140,000, experienced problem gambling in the past year. An additional 10 percent of
adolescents in New York were identified through the survey as being at risk for developing a
gambling problem.

To minimize the harm that problem gambling can cause to both individuals and society as a
whole, OASAS has 57 problem gambling programs in throughout New York State.
Jim Maney, Executive Director of New York Council on Problem Gambling said, “Throughout
the year, the New York Council on Problem Gambling (NYCPG) is dedicated to increasing
public awareness about problem and compulsive gambling and advocating for support services
and treatment for persons adversely affected by gambling. Participation in this national, state and local effort provides an excellent opportunity to further educate New York residents and
policymakers about problem gambling issues and to garner support for dedicated funding sources necessary to provide the much-needed access to problem gambling education, research,
prevention, treatment, and recovery services.”

The National Problem Gambling Awareness Week is sponsored by The National Council on
Problem Gambling (NCPG). The goal of this campaign is to educate the general public and
health care professionals about the warning signs of problem gambling and raise awareness
about the help that is available both locally and nationally. The 2009 theme is, “Real Addiction,
Real Recovery.”

OASAS also is asking that those people in recovery from problem gambling, alcoholism or
drugs share their story of recovery to inspire hope in those in dealing with addiction and to
educate the public on growing numbers of New Yorkers in recovery.

To read stories of recovery or submit one for the Your Story Matters campaign, go to iamrecovery.com. More information is available at www.oasas.state.ny.us.

Has Lady Luck got you under her spell?

Video lasts 0:32.

New York State should fund problem gambling services with revenues from its state sponsored gambling activities

Micelle Hadden, LMSW, CPP, a Prevention Specialist with the NYS Council on Problem Gambling has developed four talking points in advocating for funding for dedicated problem gamblng treatment services in New York State.

o Approximately 1 million New Yorkers have a gambling problem.

o The Governor’s proposed 2009-2010 budget calls for deregulation and expansion of gambling in New York.

o In 2009 it is estimated that state sponsored gambling will generate approximately $3 billion in revenues for New York.

o New York is the only state without dedicated funding from gambling revenues for problem gambling services.

Please join us in asking the legislature to dedicate ½ of 1% of gambling revenue in NYS or approximately $15 million to problem gambling services for New Yorkers.

Superbowl Sunday is for gamblers what New Year's Eve is for alcoholics

From the Sacramento Bee on February 1, 2009:

--Super Bowl Sunday, it has been said, is to gambling addicts what New Year's Eve is to alcoholics. That is, an occasion to go off on a dangerous bender.

An estimated $90 million will be bet at Nevada casinos on today's game between the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers. And that's not counting the illegal gambling taking place in living rooms and sports bars, via the Web with offshore bookies, as well as the friendly wager at the office.

Just how much does gambling permeate the Super Sunday gestalt? You can bet on everything from which team wins the coin toss to the duration of the national anthem to how long it takes for the first penalty to be called. "The Super Bowl," says Mike Osborne, executive director of Harbour Pointe, a compulsive gambling treatment center in Maryland, "is a gateway to a long road of self-destruction for many people."

Osborne should know. He is a recovering gambling addict, starting as a teenager betting on football and other sports, and watching it take over his life as an adult.

His self-destruction was nearly total: He lost his job and served jail time for embezzlement; he lost his family after pawning his wife's wedding ring and returning his kids' Christmas presents unopened; he lost his sense of self as he wandered the streets homeless and suicidal.

Those days are behind Osborne now. But he knows that gambling addiction, like alcoholism and substance abuse, never really goes away. It's a constant battle to stay vigilant in a society where gambling is not only tolerated more than other addictions but actually is state-sanctioned in the form of lotteries and tribal casinos.

"The largest enemy we face is public ignorance," Osborne says. "It may seem like it's harmless fun. It is not."

Indeed, pathological gambling has been classified since 1980 as an impulsive control disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

According to a 2007 study in the journal Analysis of Gambling Behavior, 6.2 percent of visits to a general practitioner involved problem gambling. A 2006 report by the California attorney general's office found that gaming addicts cost the state an estimated $1 billion annually in lost work time and crime.

And although it's been estimated in several studies that as much as 3 percent of the population has a gambling problem, awareness and treatment lag behind that of alcohol and drug abuse.