Virginia is about to take a new approach to problem gambling.
Virginia has experienced a huge explosion of gambling options in the last few years, with several new casinos and skill games at convenience stores and gambling apps on smartphones. Carolyn Hawley at Virginia Commonwealth University says that's created an explosion of problem gambling.
"What we've seen is as gambling availability has increased in Virginia, we're also seeing an increase in the number of people who are seeking help," Hawley says. "If you look at our state's problem gambling helpline calls, they've risen dramatically in recent years, and those who are reaching out are also increasingly younger populations."
Delegate Paul Krizek is a Democrat from Fairfax County who introduced a bill that's about to become law that adds new positions to an advisory committee on problem gambling. One new position will be for a recovery specialist and another for law enforcement.
"No other addiction has as many suicides as problem gambling does. It's number one, suicide addiction," Krizek says. "So, it's very important that we have as strong a treatment process as possible."
The new members could be in place for the next meeting of the problem gambling advisory committee in July.
