State plans to help gambling addicts

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana's casinos are taking in more money than ever before -- $2 billion in the most recent fiscal year -- but the number of compulsive gamblers seeking help through the state has remained steady.\nAnd experts fear that even though the state spent $1.8 million last year to prevent and treat problem gambling, some of those who are most vulnerable to gambling addiction -- such as teenagers and the elderly -- are not getting the help they need.\nThe state Family and Social Services Administration is trying to reach the younger audience with an ad campaign that has begun airing during the NCAA basketball tournament.\nThe radio and TV ads target 12- to 18-year-olds and show teens driving in a car adorned with fuzzy dice. The spots will air during Indiana Pacers games, "The Osbournes," "The Real World" and other shows aimed at young viewers.\nA campaign focusing on elderly gamblers is slated to be launched this fall or winter.\nExperts say the initiatives are needed because so few of the state's gamblers seek help.\nThe National Council on Problem Gambling reports that approximately 3 million people meet criteria for pathological gambling. Surveys estimate another 7.9 million people nationally -- including more than 204,000 in Indiana and Kentucky -- are problem gamblers.