Pulling the lever on video gaming in the county may be an issue better dealt with on a state level, but in the meantime, an influx in the number of video gaming establishments is as apparent as ever in Richmond County.

Recent legislation has put video gaming into the proverbial “grey area” when it comes to regulating and legislating the industry.

The majority of gaming industry advocates are asking the North Carolina General Assembly to regulate the industry, tax them and make them an officially sanctioned industry, like the North Carolina lottery.

According to Tom Shaheen, executive director of the North Carolina Education Lottery, the lottery brought in $414 million in revenue to North Carolina as of June 30 of this year.

The revenue raked in by the lottery this year is intended to be allocated to several educational programs across the state.

“The amount brought in varies each year,” Shaheen said. “But the lottery legislation allocates where is will be spent.”

Whether someone is in favor of video gaming or not, North Carolina and Richmond County are in the midst of it. Between Internet cafes dotting strip mall locations and the North Carolina lottery available at most gas stations, it’s plentiful and available.

With gambling, comes the percentage of people who become addicted to it and there is help available to people who suffer from it.

According to Smith Worth, program administrator for the North Carolina Problem Gambling program, they can offer support and help to problem gamblers, along with their family and friends.

“There is no single treatment most effective for pathological gambling,” Worth said.

But through support and other cognitive treatments they can break their addiction to whatever vice they have, according to Worth.

“We offer them, first of all, support,” Worth said. “Our calls are answered by master’s level clinicians who can serve them with support. People have come to us depressed, suicidal, overwhelmed by the issue.”

Some of those same people also suffered from other issues like domestic abuse, substance abuse and depression.

With plentiful video gaming establishments, the once non-habitual activity can become detrimental to their lives if not kept in check.

“Gambling fills the void as drugs and alcohol could,” Worth said.

And like drugs and alcohol, there is no demographic area more thoroughly encompassed by the addiction.

“It certainly seems to cross all lines,” Worth said.

According to Worth, anyone can become addicted to gambling. Males do favor things like sports betting, Internet gambling and other active types of betting, as females tend to favor video poker machines, lottery and standard slot machines.

“But females do seem to be moving up in the ranks,” Worth said about the number of women calling the helpline.

According to Worth, some people gamble as a way to escape, others fill a void in their lives, then there are those who just gamble out of habit.

Buying a lottery ticket or playing video poker once a week may seem like a harmless activity, and it can be, experts say. Yet, like most things, there can be an addictive quality to it.

There are several gambling addiction myths associated with it, many of which have been debunked, according to the North Carolina Problem Gambling Program, which include:

n You don’t have to gamble daily to have a problem. Mainly when gambling affects your daily life, there is a problem.

n Problem gamblers don’t gamble at every opportunity and on any form of gambling. Most problem gamblers have a favorite form of gambling that causes them problems.

n Problem gambling is not really a problem if the gambler can afford it. Problems caused by excessive gambling are not just financial. If a person’s gambling is interfering with their ability to act in accordance with their values, then there is a problem.

n Problem gamblers are not always irresponsible people. Many problem gamblers hold, or have held, responsible community positions.

n Children are affected by problem gambling. Surveys show that about 10 to 15 percent of American and Canadian youth have experienced gambling-related problems/

n Parents of problem gamblers are not to blame for their children’s behavior. Many parents of problem gamblers feel hurt and guilty about their son’s or daughter’s gambling behavior, but they are not to blame.

n If a problem gambler builds up a debt, the important thing to do is not to help them get out of the financial problem. Quick fix solutions are often attractive to everyone involved and may appear to be the right thing to do.

n Problem gambling is not easy to recognize. Problem gambling has been called the hidden addiction. It is very easy to hide as it has few recognizable symptoms, unlike alcohol and drug use.

For more information, or to contact the North Carolina Problem Gambling helpline, call 1-877-718-5543 or visit their website www.dhhs.state.nc.us/mhddsas/problemgambling/.