Nevada has always been known as the gambling capital of the world. Its entire existence is owed to gambling, with casinos and gaming parlors in the state attracting millions of visitors each year. However, as gambling addiction has become the focus of attention around the world, the Silver State is launching a new program to make it easier for problem gamblers to find help. Project Worth has been created to connect those who feel that gambling is controlling their lives with state and local resources designed to help put the control back in their hands.
According to a press release from Nevada’s Department of Health and Human Services Problem Gambling Services, Project Worth is an online initiative that will help locals with gambling problems locate state-funded treatment resources, including “treatment centers in northern and southern Nevada and call, text or chat helplines.” Those who feel they have an ongoing issue or even just a one-time problem can take advantage of the program.
The chair of the Advisory Committee of Problem Gambling, Alan Feldman, asserts, “Project Worth was created to help people in the state of Nevada learn that everyone is worthy of support if they find themselves experiencing any of a range of harms from gambling — from mild to moderate to severe. We want Nevadans to know that if they struggle with any kind of a gambling problem, there are treatment resources available on both the state and national levels to help them redefine their personal worth. And these resources are free or very low cost.”
Nevada has six state-funded treatment centers. Three are located in the southern part of the state and three in the northern region. Those in the south, which are all in Las Vegas, include the International Problem Gambling Center, Mental Health Counseling and Consulting and Finding Hope Therapy; the northern centers are Bristlecone Family Resources in Reno, Reno Problem Gambling Center and New Frontier Treatment Center in Fallon.
If traveling to a center isn’t needed or possible, there is also the National Council on Problem Gambling. It offers an online chat service and 24-hour hotline, and there is also Nevada 2-1-1, an online portal where locals can find the services that suit their needs.
Project Worth works to “encourage Nevadans to seek treatment for problem gambling to enhance the safety, health and welfare of all Nevadans,” according to the press release. It is supported by the state’s Division of Public and Behavioral Health and receives support from Nevada’s Advisory Committee on Problem Gambling, which was created in 2005.