Taking on problem gambling in NC

COM. INJURED AT WORK.

>> WE ARE LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY

FROM NORTH CAROLINA. JOINING

26 STATES THAT ALREADY HAVE

ONLINE SPORTS BETTING SINCE

YOU'RE WATCHING TV RIGHT NOW.

I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN INUNDATED

WITH THE ADS REMINDING YOU

ABOUT THIS MONDAY MARCH.

11TH AT NOON IS WHEN YOU WILL

BE ABLE TO BEGIN PLACING BETS

ON YOUR FAVORITE TEAMS. AND

AS WE'VE LEARNED FROM

COMMERCIALS PAST THE

SPORTSBOOKS HAVE A CREATIVE

WAY OF PULLING YOU IN. AND

RIGHT NOW NEW CUSTOMERS BUT $5

AND GET ONE 50 IN BONUS BETS.

THIS IS A FANJUL COMMERCIAL

THAT RAN DURING THE SUPER BOWL

OFFERING BONUS BETS. IF YOU PUT

IN $5, IT'S A COMMON PROMOTION

WITH A SIMPLE INTENT OF GETTING

YOU TO SIGN UP CAN PLACE.

THAT'S THE FIRST BEST. THAT'S

ONE WAY THEY DRAW U N. BUT THE

NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES KNOWS

THAT FOR TOO MANY PEOPLE THAT

CAN BE THE START OF A SLIPPERY.

DO YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO IS A

NATURAL REDHEAD DO YOU KNOW

ANYONE WITH GREEN EYES IF YOU

ANSWERED YES TO EITHER OF

THOSE, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE WHO IS

PART OF ONLY 2% OF THE WORLD'S

POPULATION. SO IT'S NOT

UNFATHOMABLE, BUT YOU MIGHT

ALSO KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS OR

BECOMES A PROBLEM. GAMBLER AND

ESTIMATED 2 TO 3% OF AMERICANS

ARE CONSIDERED TO HAVE MILD

OR MODERATE GAMBLING PROBLEMS.

GAMBLING ADDICTION IS ENOUGH OF

A CONCERN THAT THERE IS AN

ENTIRE DIVISION OF THE NORTH

CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

AND HUMAN SERVICES DEDICATED TO

PROBLEM GAMBLING.

>> WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF GROWTH.

OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS WITH

OUR ABILITIES TO REACH, USES

OUR ABILITY STREET COLLEGE

STUDENTS WITH OUR ABILITIES TO

PROVIDE TREATMENT, THE ABILITY

TO PROVIDE PEER SUPPORT

SERVICES. THIS PROBLEM GAMBLING

PROGRAM IS NOW SET TO GET 2

MILLION-DOLLARS A YEAR FROM

SPORTS BETTING TAXES TO THE

STATE. THIS IS WHAT YOU SEE UP

TOP HERE. NOTE.

>> BUT THIS 2 MILLION DOLLARS

STAYS AT 2 MILLION DOLLARS

DESPITE

THE PROJECTED EXPONENTIAL

GROWTH IN REVENUE THAT THE

STATE IS SET TO RECEIVE ON THE

OTHER HAND, UNC ATHLETICS

DEPARTMENT'S MAJOR EVENTS AND

ATTRACTIONS IN THE STATE AND

THE GOVERNMENT ARE GOING TO GET

A PERCENTAGE OF THE SPORTS

BETTING TAX REVENUE. SEE HOW

THEIR PROJECTED DISTRIBUTIONS

GO UP AND UP AND UP MORE AND

MORE PEOPLE ARE AT RISK OF

GETTING ADDICTED TO GAMBLING.

BUT THE FUNDING STAYS THE SAME.

THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON PROBLEM

GAMBLING ESTIMATES THE RISK OF

GAMBLING ADDICTION GREW BY 30%

BETWEEN THE YEARS 2018 2021.

SO WITH THE HEIGHTENED EXPOSURE

TO GAMBLING, CREATING A GREATER

RISK FOR PROBLEM, GAMBLING,

THE STATE IS MAKING EFFORTS

WITH THE FINITE RESOURCES.

IT HAS TO EDUCATE PEOPLE,

PEOPLE AS YOUNG AS MIDDLE

SCHOOLERS.

>> MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH

SCHOOLS ARE

CURRENT REACH. WE ACTIVELY HAVE

ABOUT 40 SCHOOLS AND AT-RISK

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS EVERY

YEAR. SOMETIMES THAT GOES DOWN

A LITTLE BIT. SOMETIMES THAT

GOES UP A LITTLE BIT. THAT HAS

EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE

AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT I HAVE

IN MY BUDGET. THE STATE OFFERS

GRANTS FOR SCHOOLS AND

ORGANIZATIONS TO APPLY TO SO

THEY CAN HAVE THIS GAMBLING

CURRICULUM FUNDED SOON. THEY'LL

BE OFFERING GRANTS TO ENTIRE

SCHOOL SYSTEMS STARTING WITH

CHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG THIS

YEAR.

>> WOODRING TELLS ME THEY'RE

ALSO TARGETING COLLEGE KIDS,

PARTICULARLY COLLEGE ATHLETES

BECAUSE THEY ARE PARTICULARLY

AT RISK TO SPORTS BETTING AND

EVEN THOUGH MOST PEOPLE WON'T

BECOME PROBLEM GAMBLERS, THOSE

WHO DO CAN AND DO HIT ROCK

BOTTOM 2022 ARTICLE SAYS

DISORDER GAMBLING HAS THE

HIGHEST SUICIDE RATE AMONG ALL

ADDICTIONS WITH ONE IN 5

PROBLEM. GAMBLERS ATTEMPTING

SUICIDE.

>> SO WITH THIS 7.5 BILLION

DOLLARS, SPORTS BETTING

INDUSTRY LAUNCHING HERE, THE

STATE WILL BE MONITORING YOUR

SPORTS BETTING BEHAVIOR WITH

THE HELP OF A PIONEER IN

GAMBLING RESEARCH OUT OF EAST

CAROLINA UNIVERSITY. HER NAME

IS DOCTOR MICHELLE MALKIN.

AND EARLIER THIS MONTH, I HAD

THE CHANCE TO SPEAK WITH HER

DOCTOR MELGEN. THANK YOU FOR

BEING HERE WITH ME. THE NEW

PROGRAM THAT YOU'RE LEADING IS

VERY RESEARCH HEAVY. WHAT KIND

OF RESEARCH WILL YOU BE DOING?

>> WE'LL BE DOING REGULAR

PREVALENCE STUDIES OF GAMBLING

BEHAVIOR IN RISK. AMONG THEM.

THE GENERAL POPULATION AS WELL

AS MARGINALIZED GROUPS HERE IN

NORTH CAROLINA TO BETTER

UNDERSTAND WHAT THE BIG

BEHAVIOR AND RISK IS HAPPENING

HERE AS WE CONTINUE TO LEGALIZE

NEW FORMS OF FAMILY. WE KNOW

THAT SPORTS BETTING IS LEGAL.

>> IN 38 STATES, WHAT IS YOUR

BIGGEST DATA-DRIVEN OBSERVATION

ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OTHER

PARTS OF THE COUNTRY?

>> SO WHAT WE SEE IN OTHER

PARTS OF THE COUNTRY IS THAT AS

NEW FORMS OF GAMBLING IS

LEGALIZED, THERE IS A RAPID

GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE

WHO ARE ENGAGING IN GAME.

AND SO WE SEE AN INCREASE IN

PREVALENCE WHAT WE ALSO SEE IS

A HUGE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER

OF CALLS TO THE GAMBLING

HELPLINES IN THOSE

JURISDICTIONS WE CAN ANTICIPATE

THAT HAPPENING HERE AS WELL

SINCE SPORTS WAGERING STILL

FAIRLY NEW. IT'S ONLY BEEN THE

GOAL FOR SEVERAL A COUPLE

YEARS. WE'RE STARTING TO SEE IN

THE PROVINCE STUDIES THAT THERE

MAY BE A INCREASE IN GAMBLING

RELATED HARMS AS WELL AS

INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IDENTIFIED

AS HAVING GAMBLING DISORDER.

AND WE DO NOT KNOW YET HOW MUCH

THAT WILL LEVEL OFF OR DECREASE

AS THAT. HE'S IN FORM OF

GAMBLING KIND OF BECOMES

MAINSTREAM IN SOCIETY. BUT WE

WILL ANTICIPATE HERE IN NORTH

CAROLINA, A LARGE INCREASE IN

PEOPLE SEEKING HELP FOR

ALRIGHT, AC PROFESSOR DOCTOR

MICHELLE MALKIN, DIRECTOR OF

THE GAMBLING RESEARCH AND

POLICY INITIATIVE. THANK YOU SO

MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.

>> MY PLEASURE. THANK YOU.

YEAH, THERE'S A LOT TO CONSIDER

HERE. WRAL ALSO RECENTLY TALKED

TO A PSYCHOLOGY EXPERT ABOUT

THE GROUP, MOST PRONE TO

GAMBLING ADDICTION. AND WHY?

>> FIND THAT STORY ALONG WITH

RESOURCES TO HELP ON WRAL DOT