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Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesALLIANCE FORMED TO HELP PROBLEM GAMBLERS

ALLIANCE FORMED TO HELP PROBLEM GAMBLERS

To cope with the possible problem of compulsive gamblers now that legalized gaming is available on St. Croix, the Casino Control Commission has formed the V.I. Alliance on Responsible Gaming.
The commission established the seven-member alliance in conjunction with the opening of the territory’s first casino in March. However, members won’t be focusing only on people having problems with legal gambling.
"We’re not targeting the Divi Casino per se," said commission member Lloyd McAlpin, adding that horse racing, cockfighting, the lottery and bingo are also on the alliance list of potential problem areas.
The Alliance on Responsible Gaming will be headed by McAlpin and include representatives from V.I. Partners in Recovery and officials from the Department of Health’s mental health unit. The alliance is in the process of drafting bylaws and articles of incorporation. Once that's done, McAlpin said, the group’s first priority is to draft a questionnaire that will be sent to community groups and service organizations throughout St. Croix.
Feedback will be used to develop an outreach plan to help individuals and families with gambling problems, McAlpin said.
But even though the alliance will assist people with any kind of gambling problem, casino gaming will be a main focus because of the number of local players frequenting the Divi Carina Bay Casino. In the casino’s first month of operation, owners reported, 80 to 85 percent of the approximately 41,000 people who had played at the casino were locals. Some $12 million was dropped into slot machines alone in that time, with winnings of $11.4 million.
Despite those numbers, McAlpin said, he’s aware of only "one or two" calls seeking help with gambling problems.
"Things are going rather smoothly, but we still want to stress responsible gaming," he said. "We want to be in a position to address these things when they happen."
For information on problem gambling, call V.I. Partners in Recovery at 719-9800 or the Division of Mental Health at 773-1311 ext. 3007.

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