View gambling as a fun activity, not as a way supplement income, coalition suggests
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The Montgomery County Prevention Coalition is not about stopping you from gambling, but to encourage you to view gambling as a fun activity along the lines of going out to dinner.
But not betting the proverbial farm is tough to do when lottery fever can grip any of us, especially as tonight’s Powerball jackpot is an estimated $725 million -- a little more than $365 million if you take the cash option -- and Friday night’s Mega Millions jackpot is $560 million as of Wednesday night -- a little more than $280 million if you take the cash option.
“We know individuals can have fun with gambling,” Colleen Oakes, coalition manager, told News Center 7′s Mike Campbell on Wednesday.
“We want encourage [individuals] to think of it in a way that is entertainment... not as funding your rent.”
The coalition wants to offer support for those individuals who think that the lottery will become a supplemental form of income, Oakes said.
All of the forms of gambling opportunities -- at the casino, at sporting events, at bars and some restaurants, some supermarkets, online gaming sites, kiosks and by smartphone -- can be a problem for those who find stopping difficult.
Oakes said some warning signs include when a person begins to hide the amount of money he or she uses for gambling or when a person is using money for gambling instead of using it for rent or utilities or food.
Don Johnson agreed that it’s difficult resist gambling when the amount one can win at once is so large.
He said also knows a couple of people who don’t know when to say when.
“I don’t have that problem,” said Johnson, a retiree and Kettering resident. “I don’t really go in with a figure in mind. I do what I want, then I stop. That’s it.”
He won $110 Wednesday but tried to give it all back to the lottery by continuing to play lottery games of chance.
“I don’t do it every day,” he said. But “somebody’s gotta win it. Might as well be us.”
Oakes said there is the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966 and there also is the Problem Gambling Network of Ohio, 614-750-9899 or pgnohio.org to support people who struggle with gambling.
