{"id":31426,"date":"2026-02-24T09:32:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T15:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=31426"},"modified":"2026-02-24T09:32:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T15:32:09","slug":"march-is-problem-gambling-awareness-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/31426-march-is-problem-gambling-awareness-month\/","title":{"rendered":"March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pdfprnt-buttons pdfprnt-buttons-post pdfprnt-top-right\"><a href=\"javascript: window.print()\" class=\"pdfprnt-button pdfprnt-button-print\" target=\"_self\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-print\/images\/print.png\" alt=\"image_print\" title=\"Print Content\" \/><span class=\"pdfprnt-button-title pdfprnt-button-print-title\">Print<\/span><\/a><\/div><p>Hour House, in partnership with the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), recognizes March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM). This year\u2019s theme, \u201cCaring Communities,<br \/>\nStronger Futures,\u201d emphasizes the importance of a community-driven approach to problem gambling awareness and support. The annual campaign aims to increase public awareness of problem gambling and the availability of prevention, treatment, and recovery services, as well as encourage healthcare providers to screen for problem gambling and connect individuals to appropriate support.<\/p>\n<p>Problem gambling, defined as gambling behaviors that disrupt or damage personal, family, or professional lives, affects millions of Americans. In the U.S. 2.5 million adults (1%) are estimated to meet the criteria for a severe gambling problem in a given year. Another 5\u20138 million (2\u20133%) are considered to have mild or moderate gambling problems. Additionally, in the past year, approximately 20 million American adults reported experiencing at least one indicator of problematic gambling behavior.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur community isn\u2019t defined by its challenges; it is defined by how we respond. When we come together with compassion, understanding, and proactive solutions, we can effectively address gambling-related harm and help shape stronger futures.\u201d \u2014 Amy Bullington, Gambling Coordinator<\/p>\n<p><strong>A Community-Driven Approach to Awareness and Support<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Throughout March, Hour House will lead efforts focused on increasing public understanding of problem gambling and ensuring individuals are aware of the available prevention, education, treatment, and recovery services in their community. Activities will include:<\/p>\n<p>\u25cf 3\/10\/26 National Gambling Disorder Screening Day \u2013 FREE gambling screenings available 9am-3pm by calling 217-258-6018 or by visiting 513 N 13th Street, Mattoon, IL 61938<\/p>\n<p>\u25cf Gambling awareness social media campaigns<\/p>\n<p>These efforts reflect a simple truth: when community comes together \u2014 friends, families, educators, healthcare providers, local partners, and policymakers \u2014 silence is replaced with support, and isolation is replaced with connection. To learn more about problem gambling, please visit NCPGambling.org\/FAQs.<\/p>\n<p>Hour House encourages local media, partners, and residents to join the effort by sharing resources, uplifting stories of those in recovery, and helping connect people to available support.<\/p>\n<p>If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling problem, the National Problem Gambling HelplineTM offers free, confidential support 24\/7:<br \/>\nCall 1-800-MY-RESET<br \/>\nText 800GAM<br \/>\nChat at www.NCPGambling.org\/chat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hour House, in partnership with the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), recognizes March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM). This year\u2019s theme, \u201cCaring Communities, Stronger Futures,\u201d emphasizes the importance [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":31430,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month - Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/31426-march-is-problem-gambling-awareness-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month - 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