NS - “Educating VLT addicts about their addiction”
By KRISTEN LIPSCOMBE Staff Reporter, Halifax Herald, Monday May 7, 2007
Recovering gambling addict Debbie Langille said she learned a lot from a workshop Saturday at Saint Mary’s University, including how she likely got hooked on video lottery terminals.
One of the guest speakers at the day-long event was Roger Horbay, an Ontario expert in the software and mechanics of VLTs who travels the world to share what he’s learned with those who may need help.
Ms. Langille said Mr. Horbay’s presentation showed “just how deceptive these machines are, as well as how they manipulate the player.
“You can see how you’d become so easily addicted to them,” the Halifax woman said Sunday. “I always wondered, how did these machines get me? I’m an intelligent person.”
“I didn’t even want to gamble. I didn’t like gambling,” she said, explaining that Mr. Horbay helped her better understand what drew her to the noisy, flashy gaming machines.
The free workshop, called a Day of Help, was held for exactly that purpose: To help gambling addicts and their loved ones get a grip on the illness by garnering knowledge and coping skills. The first-ever event was hosted by GameOverVLTs.com, a non-profit group, and funded by the Nova Scotia Gaming Foundation.
“We covered everything,” said Ms. Langille, GameOverVLTS.com spokeswoman.
She said about 25 people showed up for Saturday’s gathering in the Loyola Building on the Saint Mary’s campus. Other speakers included Halifax lawyer Bruce Clarke and trustee Derek Cramm, who talked about how to protect your assets if there’s a gambler in the family, and Montreal addictions counsellor Sol Boxenbaum.
“He has a radio show that he does from 3 to 5 in the morning and it’s called Last Call with Sol,” Ms. Langille said. “It’s for people that that might be out late, that come home and want to talk about what happened.”
According to a news release issued by GameOverVLTs.com, Mr. Boxenbaum estimates 75 per cent of VLT players suffer from some sort of addiction and will probably harm themselves or their families.
Ms. Langille said her group filmed the workshop and soon will start selling DVDs of the day’s presentations on its website, in order to reach out to those who couldn’t attend Saturday and to encourage other regions to host similar events.
GameOverVLTS.com hopes to host another workshop this fall, she said.
“If we can just get one person to understand, it’s one more person than I had the day before,” Ms. Langille said.
( klipscombe@herald.ca)
© 2007 The Halifax Herald Limited
