March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month

Four Winds Casinos is committed to promoting responsible gaming at all locations

NEW BUFFALO, Mich. – March 1, 2024 – The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi’s Four Winds® Casinos, in collaboration with the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), recognize March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM).  PGAM brings together a wide range of stakeholders, such as public health organizations, treatment providers, advocacy groups, and gambling operators to increase public awareness of problem gambling and promote prevention, treatment, and recovery services.  The hashtag for this year’s nationwide grassroots campaign is #PGAM2024, which participants are encouraged to use across various social media platforms.

Problem gambling is defined as all gambling behavior patterns that compromise, disrupt or damage personal, family or vocational pursuits.  Approximately 2 million U.S. adults are estimated to meet criteria for severe problem gambling.  Another 4-6 million meet the criteria for mild or moderate problem gambling.

During March, Four Winds Casinos will implement a heightened awareness campaign for its employees and for the public through its social media channels and engage in other activities that increase public awareness of problem gambling and the availability of prevention, treatment, and recovery services.

Problem Gambling Awareness Month is designed to coincide each year with March Madness, during which Americans are expected to wager over $3 billion.  For the majority of adults, gambling can be a fun and entertaining experience, but there are risks involved.  Sports bettors are at particularly high-risk for developing a gambling problem.  According to the National Survey on Gambling Attitudes and Gambling Experiences 2.0, four out of five sports bettors reported often needing to gamble more for the same feeling of excitement.

According to Mary Smith, Chief Operating Officer of Four Winds Casinos, “The Pokagon Gaming Authority and its Four Winds Casinos continue to be fully committed to promoting responsible gaming at our casino locations and online gaming site.  We regularly evaluate our mandatory employee training programs aimed at educating our team members on the spectrum of gambling disorders, recognition of behaviors, and how to provide resources to our guests.  A healthy and informed community should be everyone’s goal.”

All Four Winds Casino locations display printed brochures that include information regarding signs of problem gambling and toll-free hotline numbers for the national helpline as well as the Michigan and Indiana state helpline numbers.  In addition to the employee training and the resources made available to guests, the Pokagon Band Gaming Commission independently administers and processes requests from guests wishing to self-exclude from Four Winds Casinos locations or the online casino and sportsbook.  More information and resources provided by Four Winds Casinos can be found at fourwindscasino.com/responsible-gaming/.

Four Winds Casinos has been a major sponsor for the National Council on Problem Gambling’s (NCPG) National Conference on Problem Gambling, the largest and longest running conference on problem gaming worldwide.  Raquel Buari, the Senior Vice President of Compliance and Human Resources at Four Winds Casinos, holds a seat on the Board of Directors for the NCPG, the Michigan Association on Problem Gambling, and the Indiana Council on Problem Gambling (ICPG).  In 2023, Four Winds made the commitment of dedicating a role for oversight of their responsible gaming efforts, a Manager of Responsible Gaming, filled by Jessica Blake.  Blake is the Secretary for the ICPG and is an active member of NCPG.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network at 1-800-GAMBLER or visit www.1800gamblerchat.org.  Help is available 24/7/365 – it is free and confidential.  Michigan residents can also contact the Michigan Association on Problem Gambling at michiganapg@gmail.com or call the state helpline at (800) 270-7117.  Those living in Indiana can reach out to the Indiana Council on Problem Gambling at  christinagray@indianaproblemgambling.org or call the state helpline at (800) 994-8448.

For more information about problem gambling and how to increase awareness and action on problem gambling, please visit www.ncpgambling.org/pgam.

About The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians of Michigan and Indiana
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi’s sovereignty was reaffirmed under legislation signed into law by President Clinton in September of 1994.  The Pokagon Band is dedicated to providing community development initiatives such as housing, education, family services, medical care, and cultural preservation for its more than 6,000 citizens.  The Pokagon Band’s ten-county service area includes four counties in Southwestern Michigan and six in Northern Indiana.  Its main administrative offices are located in Dowagiac, Mich., with a satellite office in South Bend, Ind.  In 2007, it opened Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich., followed by Four Winds Hartford in 2011, Four Winds Dowagiac in 2013 and Four Winds South Bend in January 2018.  The Pokagon Band operates a variety of non-gaming businesses through its investment enterprises, Mno-Bmadsen and the Pokagon Development Authority.  More information is available at www.pokagonband-nsn.gov, www.fourwindscasino.com and www.mno-bmadsen.com.

About the National Council on Problem Gambling
The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is neutral on legalized gambling. Based in Washington DC, NCPG is the only national nonprofit organization that seeks to minimize the economic and social costs associated with gambling addiction.

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Media Contact:
David Gutierrez, Dresner Corporate Services, (312) 780-7204, dgutierrez@dresnerco.com