Greater Vernon residents will be learning more about problem gambling, and ways to deal with it. City council has given its support to a responsible gambling community program which will be a first of its kind in BC. It will be administered by the Social Planning Council, and executive director Annette Sharkey says awareness campaigns will start in January. "We want to get information out to the community about what the extent of the problem is but also where people can get the supports, and we do have services in the community, but they're underutilized and we don't think people know about them the way that they should." Sharkey says the BC Lottery Corp is providing a 50-thousand dollar sponsorship to the city, to help develop the two year program. "Vernon is going to be a model. There is a sponsorship agreement through BCLC where we're able to do a series of campaigns around responsible gambling. We have very specific goals." Sharkey says gambling issues is a hidden problem in the community. "Part of that could be someone not wanting to admit what's happening, so part of this is to help people get connected to the services that are available, and to start talking about the issue." Sharkey says about four percent of gamblers are problem gamblers, or at risk for becoming one. A BC government website says problem gambling can lead to financial ruin, legal problems, loss of career and family, or even suicide. Much like a dependency on alcohol, the need to gamble may become the most important activity in the life of someone who gambles excessively.
1 comment:
It will be very interesting at the end to see where the $50,000 gets spent
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