This week we are dedicating the newsletter to Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM) as a member of the Region 1 Gambling Awareness Team . Below is a variety of events, news and resources related to gambling awareness.
It's Problem Gambling Awareness Month!

Problem Gambling Awareness Month is designed to help raise awareness of the prevention, treatment and recovery services. Across Connecticut, groups hold conferences, host screening and training days, run media campaigns, and conduct awareness initiatives to reach people who can make a difference in ensuring that problem gambling services are widely available and accessible.

Fast Facts
  • An estimated 2 million per year US adults meet criteria for severe gambling problems.
  • Gambling can be an addiction too. It can be as addictive as alcohol & drugs. 
  • NCPG estimates the annual national social cost of problem gambling is $7 billion. 
  • Youth who gamble are more than 2X more likely to binge drink. 
  • People with gambling problems often also have high rates of depression and increased rates of suicidal behavior. 
  • In 2019 total revenues from all forms of legal gambling in CT generated almost 1.5 billion dollars.


Looking for Help?
(888) 789-7777 or Text "CTGAMB" to 53342.
In the News
Lamont opposes tribes-only sports betting, Bridgeport casino

With no sign of a letup in the state's 5-year stalemate over gambling expansion, Gov. Ned Lamont came out Tuesday in favor of a bill that would allow the Native American tribes, the operators of off-track betting locations and the Connecticut...

Read more
www.thehour.com
Save the Date for These Events
Gambling Awareness 101
Free Lunch and Learn 
Thursday, March 19, 2020 | 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM
Burroughs Community Center
2470 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport
You will learn:
1. Three key messages to promote safe gambling
2. How do you know if there is a problem?
3. What are tips to keep gambling safe and affordable?
4. If someone’s need help, where do they go?
Hosted by: Region 1 Gambling Awareness Team
RSVP by March17th to: [email protected]
Contact Hour Certificate Provided
Problem Gambling Awareness
Community Impact Lunch
Monday, March 30, 2020 | 11 AM - 1 PM 
Darien Congregational Church, 
14 Brookside Road, Darien, CT
Join us for this free event! A discussion of gambling in CT, moving stories of recovery, regional student-created PSAs and resources for help locally. CEUs are available and light refreshments will be served.
Attend Events Happening Across the State
The Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling (CCPG) is facilitating eight community impact events across the state.

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Gambling at the Capital
Members of the Region 1 Gambling Awareness Team (Rob Zuckerman (CT Renaissance),
Diana Goode (Ct Council on Problem Gambling ) and Ingrid Gillespie ( CT Prevention Network and Communities4Action) attended the public hearing and provided testimonies for a number of
gambling bills being heard by the Public Safety and Security Committee. We also had the
opportunity to meet and be briefly interviewed by Senator Hwang, a member of the committee. 
A good day for education and advocacy!
A number of bills were heard before the Public Safety and Security Committee. View our website for a list of the bills.


A number of these bills relate to expansion of gambling, which CCPG indicated  will likely increase gambling participation and problems unless steps are taken to minimize harm.  At the annual Communities 4 Action legislative forum in December, CCPG presented their recommendations.   View the recommendations.
Opportunities to Get Involved!
REGIONAL GAMBLING AWARENESS TEAMS- All are welcome ! 
Regional Gambling Awareness Teams bring together representatives from treatment, prevention, recovery, and your local communities to share resources, collect data, assess community awareness and readiness, support efforts to create gambling-informed programs and services, and support the mission of DMHAS Problem Gambling Services in raising gambling awareness across the lifespan and the continuum of care. 

In Southwest CT, the Regional Gambling Awareness Team meets quarterly at Burroughs Community Center, 2470 Fairfield Avenue. All are welcome!  For more information, please contact Ingrid Gillespie by email at  [email protected]  or by phone at 203-588-0457
Congregation Assistance and Community Awareness Program (CAP)
The “Congregation Assistance Program” trains individuals in faith-based organizations in behavioral and mental health issues and the local community resources available to people seeking help with these concerns. Participants learn the signs, symptoms, and impact of addictions, including alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and gambling, and explore ways to assist and refer a person in distress, including those with suicidal thoughts. Due to requests from business and community groups who saw this as an opportunity to increase the capacity of their organizations to support and assist their own members,  CAP is now offered to non-faith-based groups as the “Community Awareness Program ”.
To learn more information about CAP, talk with a program facilitator, or schedule a CAP for your faith-based or community organization, please contact Ingrid Gillespie by email at  [email protected]  or by phone at 203-588-0457. Learn more about CAP.
Reports & Resources
Sports betting: The basics

In this year's March Madness, filling out a prophetic bracket isn't the only way to make a buck. Sports betting is now legal in eight states and arriving in more states soon. It's a seismic shift in the landscape of sports gambling.

Read more
www.cbsnews.com