BATON ROUGE, LA - March is here,
which means tournament season is upon us. While many excited fans can healthily
watch who will emerge victorious as this year's basketball champions, others
may be triggered by March Madness and put their financial and mental health in
jeopardy.
With this month being Problem
Gambling Awareness Month, Attorney General Jeff Landry is encouraging citizens
to learn the warning signs of problem gambling. To help do so, the Louisiana
Department of Justice is issuing a 30-second public service announcement on the signs and symptoms of
problem gambling.
"Problem gambling affects people of all races, creeds, and
religions," said Attorney General Landry. "By educating our State’s
people of the warning signs of problem gambling, my office and I hope to make
Louisiana a safer place."
In addition to the issues in the aforementioned public service announcement,
Attorney General Landry offers the following warning signs of problem gambling:
- Frequent absences from
home and work.
- Increased preoccupation
with gambling.
- An urge to gamble more
money and more frequently.
- Betting more to try to
recover losses.
- Asking to borrow money
to cover gambling debts.
- Restlessness or
irritably when trying to stop gambling.
As noted in the Problem Gambling PSA, Attorney General Landry encourages all who think they or loved ones may have gambling problems to call 877-770-STOP or visit www.FreeGamblingHelpLA.org.