PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – Treatment programs for gambling addiction in Oregon are facing months-long waiting lists as mobile sports betting makes gambling more accessible than ever, with experts predicting the real surge in demand will hit in the next four to five years.
The Oregon Lottery has reported more than $3.5 billion wagered since sports gambling became legal in the state in 2019. But as betting moves to smartphones, recovery programs are struggling to keep up with demand.
Kate Madden, assistant director of Lewis and Clark Problem Gambling Services, said her program’s waiting list is “heartbreakingly long” at three to four months. When similar cases sought help in 2017, treatment was available within days.
“It’s huge and it’s one of the most difficult treatments areas that we have. Because people wake up in the middle of the night, they’re distressed, they’re stressed out. They just they want to feel something other than what they’re feeling, and they can turn to their phone,” Madden said.
The accessibility of mobile gambling has fundamentally changed the addiction landscape, according to Brian Ward, a certified gambling recovery mentor who has been in recovery since 2017.
“Back when I was gambling, you at least had to put on proper attire to go to a place, and you don’t have to do that anymore. And, it’s probably one of the scariest parts about it, is that it is so unbelievably accessible,” Ward said.
Oregon uses one percent of all lottery revenue to fund problem gambling services, totaling about $8 million annually. Those services are free to anyone who needs them.
Greta Coe, the problem gambling manager for the Oregon Health Authority, said the funding creates a comprehensive system but falls short of meeting all population needs.
“We do the best we can do with that. Creating a comprehensive system ranging from prevention and awareness efforts all the way to treatment and recovery efforts. But yes, it’s not enough,” Coe said.
Madden said the program is looking at group therapy to meet demand, but there are limited providers in the state.
Ward’s gambling addiction began in childhood during family game nights with card games that included betting. As an adult, he was drawn to gambling terminals in bars and delis around the state.
“There was this idea that, like, everything’s a little more okay and or at least numb while I played,” Ward said.
By 2017, Ward was working in a group home for people with developmental disabilities and began stealing money from their checking accounts to fund his gambling habit. When his boss came by for an audit, Ward knew he was caught.
“I excused myself and turn myself in to the local police department to basically just acknowledge that, like, as a mandatory reporter, I’m mandatorily reporting on myself,” Ward said.
Ward then called the Oregon State Problem Gambling Helpline.
“That call was probably the last call that I wanted to make. I had tried for years at this point to manage it myself, to not have to acknowledge it to anybody,” Ward said. “That was on Friday. By Sunday, I was at my first meeting and in my first counseling session.”
Ward said the greatest challenge facing those who need help is the lack of societal understanding.
“So there is a unique stigma, that I would say also goes with most process, coping mechanisms, eating and sex and gambling in that because you’re not introducing foreign chemicals into your body, people don’t seem to understand that it’s not about willpower,” Ward said.
For Ward, the stigma led to isolation before he reached out for help.
“I didn’t feel like anybody would understand, and some people didn’t. Like I did lose relationships over everything that had happened,” Ward said. “But making that call and then starting to talk to people who weren’t immediately looking at me like I was the problem, but rather saying like, yeah, been there myself. Welcome. It’s nice to have you. Now, that was kind of a game changer.”
It has been eight years since the Supreme Court opened the doors to legalize sports betting in many states. Companies like DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics have made it easier than ever to place a bet from a phone.
In Oregon, all gambling is run by the state lottery.
Early research shows a noticeable increase in sports gambling among younger groups, mostly in college, with more reports of high schoolers participating despite regulations.
Ward is now speaking out, hoping his story may inspire others to seek help.
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