Illinois Receives Praise From Problem Gambling Expert

The way to help problem gamblers is through treatment, not prohibition. That is the way Joanna Franklin, President of the Institute on Problem Gambling in Baltimore, Maryland, sees it anyway.

Franklin praised the state of Illinois for the way they handled video gambling expansion this past Spring. Illinois' Video Gaming Act provides $2.5 million to the Department of Human Resources for treatment programs for problem gamblers.

"Treatment, not prohibition, is the best way to treat problem gamblers," said Franklin, "Problem gamblers are not without options. They will go to a racetracks or casino or the Internet if they can't find a video gambling machine."

Lawmakers in Illinois have given individual cities and towns the right to make their own decisions regarding video gambling machines. Many towns have already banned the machines, while others are looking into the financial advantages of allowing the machines.

The prohibition issue has become one of consequence when it comes to online gambling. There is a movement going on in Congress to change Internet gambling laws in the US. At the forefront of that movement is the idea that prohibition is not working when it comes to Internet gambling.

The US is considered the top market in the world for online gambling, and that is with a government that has made it difficult for people in the US to gamble online. Representative Barney Frank is leading the charge for a regulated Internet gambling industry.

Franklin is considered an expert in the area of problem gambling. Clinical treatment programs in forty-five states, thirty-one Indian tribes, ten Canadian provinces, and nine countries have all been set up by Franklin.

September 18, 2009
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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