Gambling News by Gambling Headquarters

Hundreds of slot machines were rolling last week in Broward County, where crowds thronged a new "racino" at the former Hollywood Greyhound Track, newly dubbed the Mardi Gras Racetrack and Gaming Center. At nearby Gulfstream Park, slots were introduced in mid-November and more than $77 million has already flowed through its machines. Two more tracks plan to open rooms for slots soon -- and there's little the Legislature can do about it. A statewide constitutional amendment approved in 2004 allowed voters in Miami-Dade and Broward counties to vote on allowing casino-style slots. Miami-Dade voters said no, but the issue could face a re-vote in the coming year. Broward voters said yes, and the Legislature -- under pressure from Gov. Jeb Bush, a gambling opponent -- scrambled in 2006 to enact restrictions and set a tax rate on the new machines. For the most part, the restrictions made sense. Lawmakers mandated that 50 percent of slots revenue go to the state, to be used for education. That's in line with the education revenues produced by the Florida Lottery. State law also restricts hours of operation for slots, a measure intended to break the trance many gamers fall into when they begin to play the slots. Along the same lines, casinos are not allowed to offer free or low-cost alcohol to gamers. Automated-teller machines are banned from slot-machine parlors, along with check-cashing or loan services. These are important protections. With slots, "you can use up so much money in so very short a period of time," says Pat Fowler, executive director of the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling. "The only thing that makes the gambler stop is the need for more money." Bush insisted on these regulations as a way to protect Floridians from slots -- perhaps the most addictive form of gambling available. Lawmakers who support gambling are already suggesting that these measures be repealed, and they're counting on Gov. Charlie Crist to back their play. Crist accepted thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from many of the state's gambling interests. But Crist, along with the Legislature, should stand firm. Instead of making it easier for problem gamblers to sink deeper into debt, state officials should consider using the slots revenue to shore up programs to treat gambling addiction.

First, the state needs a good look at trends. The Legislature commissioned a study of gambling that was completed by the University of Florida in 2003. That study -- which provided valuable information on the national, as well as regional, impacts of gambling -- cries out for a follow-up now that slots are established in the state.

The state can also maximize the programs it already has in place by investing in publicity for its gambling helpline. Spending money on advertising carries a dual benefit: It helps Floridians reach out for help they might not otherwise know about, and it gives the state a constantly updated picture of problem wagering.

But the hotline faces its own challenges. Too often, staffers can't offer problem gamblers a place to turn for anti-addiction counseling. Some mental-health professionals still treat gambling as a self-control issue, despite studies showing it's a geniune addiction with mental and physiological components. Better training for the state's psychiatric community -- and subsidies for those who can't afford to pay private physicians -- would help.