The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services will hold an online symposium in March on problem gambling. Spokesperson Lynn Sutfin tells WSJM News this comes one year after online sports betting was made legal in the state. Has that led to more problem gambling?
“We’ve definitely seen an increase of calls to our helpline in 2021, about triple the calls from 2020,” Sutfin said. “We doi know that people are calling us. Not all of them necessarily were reporting a problem gambling issue, but there were questions about online gambling, about the platform”
The virtual symposium will be on March 3 and 4. Sutfin says everyone’s invited.
“Individuals who may be struggling with problem gambling or have a loved one that is struggling. It’s also for practitioners who work in this space who help others with problem gambling issues.”
Experts in gambling addiction will speak along with people who have faced problems. Sutfin says in recent years, more young people have struggled with problem gambling due to online gaming. The deadline to register for the symposium is March 1. We have the registration page at our website.
