How to stay safe while gambling during March Madness
First Choice Services Director of Marketing and Communications Sheila Moran said the best way to keep yourself safe from developing addiction patterns is to set a limit and stick to it, which can be the most difficult part.
Moran has tips on how to stay aware of potential gambling problems and what you need to look out for.
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'Things we find is that when you have an early big win that can put you at risk. Now, that sounds off because a lot of people would like to have a big win gambling, but people tell us that when they do have that big win, many times they spend years and years chasing that high, so that's an issue. Certainly, if you have a history of addiction yourself, we get a lot of calls from people who are formerly addicted to drugs or alcohol and they started gambling not realizing that that could be just as addictive so that's certainly an issue. Age is also an issue, we're now getting far more calls from young people than we ever have and research shows that the younger people start gambling, the more likely they can become addicted,' Moran said.
For help, you can call or text 1-800-GAMBLER, which is operational 24/7. For long-term help, this number will be able to cover and provide free therapy services that are needed. This help includes access to an app that can block gambling from phones and laptops. Moran said that they don't give the app out publicly and ask that people call first to see if the app is a good fit for them.
'When you're addicted to gambling the last thing you need is more debt trying to pay for treatment,' Moran said.
For more information, you can go here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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