Thursday, March 29, 2007

A telephone helpline for problem gamblers set up a year ago by North
Carolina lottery officials has received plenty of calls, but not from its
targeted audience. Up to 85 percent of the calls haven't been from people
with gambling problems, officials said. Instead, callers want to know the
winning Powerball numbers or have questions about their scratch-off tickets.
In February alone, about 300 people called the helpline but 250 of the calls
came from people who didn't have a gambling problem. The 24-hour toll-free
helpline number is printed on every lottery ticket and scratch card, along
with another telephone number people can call with questions about the
games. The same confusion happens in other states, said Smith Worth,
director of the North Carolina Problem Gambling Program.