The next time you visit a Slot facility or a Casino, take a look round the room.
There is a good chance that two or three per cent of the people at that facility have problems with gambling.
Robert Murray is the Program Manager of the Problem Gambling Institute of Ontario, which is a new umbrella organization that brings together all the resources of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to deal with gambling.
He says in Ontario there more than 300 thousand people who are considered to be problem gamblers.
Its an issue says Murray that consumes an excessive amount of peoples time , not to mention their money and it also results in serious health problems like depression, anxiety and family conflicts.
Murray says one of the obstacles the Institute has to overcome is getting the message out that there is help available.
He says they want to help people admit that have a problem then convince them to seek treatment or help from either the Institute or local resources like the Grey Bruce Community Health organization.
His message to anyone who considers themselves a problem gambler is, there is help out there either locally or at the Problem Gambling Institute and the treatment is free and totally confidential.
If you want more information you can call the Problem Gambling Hotline, at 1-888-230-3505 or the Grey Bruce Community Health Corporation at 1-519-371-4120 or at www.mhagb.ca