Each year in the United States, March is observed as Problem Gambling Awareness Month. In New Mexico, the Responsible Gaming Association of New Mexico (RGANM) offers year-round outreach, prevention, and treatment for those affected by problem gambling.

In 2021, even with many of the state’s Native American-owned casino properties closed due to Covid-19, RGANM reported an 11% increase over the prior year in visits to the website, RGANM.org. Of those visitors, there was a significant increase in clicks to a treatment providers’ website, up 78% from 2020.

“We know that even when our casinos were closed, many people still find ways to gamble, particularly through online gaming sites which can be very addictive,” said Shannon Dictson, the association’s vice president and the coordinator of the Mescalero Responsible Gaming Program in Mescalero, New Mexico. “Our website and 24/7 helpline, staffed by counselors trained in problem gambling treatment, continued to serve people, even when the casino properties were closed.”
March is not only Problem Gambling Awareness Month, it is also a time when the annual college basketball tournament is held. Research conducted by American Gaming Association says that 47 million Americans expect to wager on the March Madness tournament. One analyst on BoydsBets.com estimates that nearly half a billion dollars will be wagered during the tournament, with players making bets in Las Vegas, online gaming, sportsbooks, and office pools.

“Gambling has become pervasive across the United States,” said Dictson. “In New Mexico, before the first Native casino opened in 1995, a collaboration of tribes formed the Responsible Gaming Association of New Mexico, knowing that resources would be needed. During March, and across the entire year, we want people to know that many resources, including free treatment, are available for the gambler and their family. We also have announced our series of 2022 webinars for treatment providers, which helps educate them on the latest research and options to help problem gamblers.”

More information about those resources can be found at RGANM.org or by calling the RGANM Helpline at 888-696-2440. Nationwide statistics and resources can be found on the National Council for Problem Gambling website at ncpgambling.org.

Problem gambling, more often than we would like to think, lies underneath what some of our clients present with at intake.  Moreover, most clinicians, doctors, emergency room physicians, and urgent care providers don’t screen for gambling disorders and clients are only too happy to keep their gambling disorder a secret, probably because of the strong shame and stigma that having it often causes.

The Responsible Gaming Association of New Mexico (RGANM), now in its 26th year of advocating for responsible gaming and leading the fight against problem gambling, is offering the 26th Annual Conference on Problem Gambling in a virtual format.  The RGANM Annual conference is the largest and longest-standing conference on problem gambling in the Southwest. Launched in 1998, the RGANM Annual Conference brings together compelling speakers and experts from across the country and around the world and provides opportunities to learn from colleagues in the field.

Problem gambling affects every community in our state and can cripple the lives not only of problem gamblers themselves, but of their families and friends as well.  Since it is a hidden addiction, it requires skills and knowledge to unearth and effectively treat.  This year’s conference sessions will highlight some of the tools and resources available for effective gambling disorder treatment and recovery and offer information on innovative treatment topics that affect your work.

Each webinar, held March through August 2022, will be 2 hours in duration and, if all are attended, will provide a total of 12 gambling-specific CEU hours, which will also count for Ethics CEUs.  The conference webinar lineup is as follows:

  1. March 18th, 11am-1pm: Jeff Marrotta, PhD

“The Impacts of COVID-19 on Changes to Gambling and Other Behaviors with Addiction Risk: Clinical and Ethical Considerations”

Registration Link: https://theevolutiongroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qtz4pHZmQjCAwFSuexZ5OA

  1. April 22nd, 11am-1pm: Heather Gray, PhD and “Catherine” (a recovering gambler)

“Treatment Implications of Expanded Gambling: Insights from Research and Lived Experience”

Registration Link:

https://theevolutiongroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bsKkjkDXR9qLjfFlcOoMfA 

  1. May 20, 11am-1pm: Jon Grant, PhD

“The Brain and How We Use That Information for Treatment”

Registration Link:

https://theevolutiongroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oiDQ8QJlSw-SRh3uac8Msw

  1. June 17, 11am-1pm: Chris Anderson, LMFT

“Working From the Inside Out: Live Supervision Session on Problem Gambling”

Registration Link:

https://theevolutiongroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_k76rGhH8Sq2wVl14g3Ymrw

  1. July 15, 11am-1pm: Speaker and Topic To Be Announced

Registration Link:

https://theevolutiongroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_j4_Pebl0QZG2QtlS-a7ouw

  1. August 12, 11am-1pm: Sarah Nelson, PhD

“Findings from Athletes and Gambling Study”

Registration Link:

https://theevolutiongroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CId1Z5-eRBSCF5_Ywcuwtg

Important: In order to attend the webinar series and receive CEUS, participants will have to:

1) Be registered

2) Attend the entire session

3) Fill out a session survey afterwards and answer ethics questions relating to the material taught.

CEU certificates will be emailed to participants email addresses within 5 business days following completion of the post webinar series.

Our annual summary of outreach and services to those affected by problem gambling is summarized below in an infographic. For any questions about our services or the association of native casinos, contact president@rganm.org.

The problem gambling webinar series from the Responsible Gaming Association of New Mexico continues on FridayMay 21, 2021 from 11am-12:30 pm MDT. This is the first of a four-part series on ethics and problem gambling. Please mark your calendar for the other dates: June 11, July 16, and August 13; each session will be 11am-12:30 pm MDT.

When we embody what we learn, that’s when it sinks in. This webinar, “Embodying Ethics: Gambling, Trauma, and Music?!” takes us on the ethics path using case studies of gambling clients, their partners, and families, and utilizes breathing and music to anchor in what we will learn.

Our presenter will be Daniel Blackwood, LPCC, ICGCII-BACC.

Attendees will earn 1.5 gambling-specific CEUs for each session (counselors and social workers). If you attend all 4, you’ll receive 6 CEUs. You do not, of course, have to attend all sessions.

Attendance is free but registration is required and space is limited.

Click here to register.

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