Saturday, March 10, 2007

Louisiana continues to set a national example of how to treat gambling
addiction, said state officials at a news conference Tuesday in Shreveport.
"This area is a leader in gambling addiction programs," said Louisiana
Attorney General Charles C. Foti Jr. A new case management system - CIBERLaw
CRIMES, which is customized to track compulsive gambling and related
criminal activity - will be used in conjunction with the Gambling Treatment
Referral Program initiated in the 26th Judicial District in 2004. This week,
through Sunday, is National Problem Gambling Awareness Week in Louisiana. In
Shreveport at the Center for Recovery to make the announcement were Foti,
Michael Duffy, assistant secretary for the Office for Addictive Disorders,
and 26th Judicial District Attorney J. Schuyler Marvin. Problem gambling is
a serious issue in Louisiana facing as many as 200,000 residents, according
to state figures. The Gambling Treatment Referral Program gives nonviolent
offenders who are directly related to a gambling problem a chance to get
help for their addiction instead of going to prison. Offenders who fit the
profile are directed to outpatient help from Office for Addictive Disorders
counselors or in-patient treatment at CORE, the only state-funded
residential facility for gambling addiction of its kind in the United
States. The 26th Judicial District, the pilot site for the gambling referral
program, is also the pilot site for CRIMES. "It's a very useful program,"
Marvin said. "The system has simplified document generation, eliminated
redundant tasks and provided automatic reminders so we're always sure to
meet deadlines." CRIMES can update and track cases throughout the legal
process and they can be maintained as part of the overall legal history for
criminal, traffic, worthless checks, investigations, civil, defense, adult,
family and juvenile matters. "This is a way to track their progress in the
rehabilitation process," Marvin said. "If they slip and they are not working
the program, this gives us a way to snatch them back up." As much as 95
percent of large thefts can be attributed to a gambling or drug addiction
problem, said Marvin. "You're never going to find that money or stolen goods
sitting around somewhere that you can return to the owners," he said. Foti
praised the state efforts and in particular northwest Louisiana in the
effort to treat gambling addiction.

"This program has gained national attention from all over. People in Las
Vegas and other places have come to see how we've done it," Foti said.

In addition to court referrals, CORE - a 21-bed facility for men and women -
gets client referrals from all over: employers, friends, family members and
walk-ins, to name a few.

Sixteen of the beds are contracted to the state, and the five remaining can
be filled with out-of-state referrals on availability. CORE charges a fee of
$5,400 for the 36-day program for these out-of-state clients.

"Gamblers don't have money; that's why it's free to Louisiana residents. But
the state can't afford to pay full costs for out-of-state clients," said
Reece Middleton, executive director of CORE, who has seen more than 1,000
people get help at CORE since the doors opened.

"That's a very reasonable cost, about a 10th of what's charged at other
national programs. And we can use that money toward our matching funds
required by the state."

After Hurricane Katrina shut down CORE South in New Orleans, the Shreveport
location, which opened in 1999, remains the only one in the state. Other
free compulsive gambling counseling services offered to Louisiana citizens
can be accessed through a toll-free helpline (877) 770-7867 or through the
state's Web site and the Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling.

The state is also targeting youth with a multimedia, neon-colored Web site
hosted by a cartoon frog.

Middleton is looking forward to the addition of a halfway house to be built
next to CORE at 635 Stoner Ave. The halfway house would allow gambling
addicts to recover for a much longer period of time.

"That's where recovery really happens," said Middleton, who went back to
school for a master's degree and began working with addictive disorders
following his own recovery from an addiction. "It is helpful to stay
involved in this type of program as long as I don't forget what my recovery
is about."