Opinion: Tribes, state ignore problem gambling in New Mexico

Friday, August 31, 2012  

"In a recent Albuquerque Journal article, Keith Whyte, the executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, complimented New Mexico for the compact requirement that tribes and tracks have of contributing one-fourth of one-percent of net income toward problem gambling prevention and cure. It amounts to about $2 million per year, which is better than many states.

Still, it is a pathetic token amount to throw at the problem, and the state has no control over how most of it is spent. Typical costs for treatment center plans are often $20,000 to $30,000 per patient, and the success rate is not very high.

That amount would possibly help to treat about 75 to 100 problem gamblers, if the money were actually spent on treating gamblers. Reports to the New Mexico Gaming Control Board revealed that some of the tribes have co-mingled treatment money with a list of other problems, such as suicide prevention, marriage and family counseling, etc., or just put it in the tribal general fund. "

Get the Story:
Guy C. Clark: State, Casino Industry Ignore Problem Gambling (The Albuquerque Journal 8/31)