During the next week, you’ll see messages on a variety of platforms to remind us all that it’s National Problem Gambling Awareness Month. Our hope is that the right information will be provided at the right time to someone who needs it.
Whether you’re watching TV, driving in the car with the radio on, surfing the web or using an audio- or video-streaming service, you’ll likely see one of the public service announcements we’ve produced in conjunction with the Iowa Department of Public Health.
Our 2019 campaign begins during Sunday’s 10 p.m. local newscasts, when our PSA will be aired by television stations statewide. Then throughout the coming week, our PSA messages will be shown on outdoor billboards and local broadcast and cable channels; streamed on digital audio and video platforms; and aired by radio stations statewide. While the bulk of our campaign will occur during the coming week, some messages will continue to air through the end of March.
March is National Problem Gambling Awareness Month, and we want you to have the conversation if you have a concern about problem gambling.
Remember that problem gamblers come from any background. They can be rich or poor, young or old, male or female. Problem gambling can affect people of every race and religion, and every education and income level. The one constant is that problem gambling is treatable.
Signs of problem gambling include:
- thinking a lot about gambling, such as past gambling experiences, future gambling ventures, or ways of getting money for gambling.
- needing to gamble with larger amounts of money or with larger bets in order to get the same feeling of excitement.
- repeatedly trying to cut down or stop gambling without success.
- feeling restless or irritable when trying to cut down or stop gambling.
- gambling to run away from problems or to get relief from feeling depressed, anxious, or bad about yourself.
- often returning after gambling losses to try to win back money.
- lying to family members, friends or others in order to hide gambling activities from them.
- losing or almost losing a significant relationship, job, or an educational or career opportunity because of gambling.
- relying on others to provide money to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling.
If you ever have questions or concerns about problem gambling, visit https://yourlifeiowa.org to learn about the help available by phone, in person, or through secure chat or video.
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