Too much rolling of the dice could land New Yorkers in the nation’s first and only gambling-treatment court. Instead of sending addicts to jail for gambling-related crimes, a judge may sentence them to supervised counseling and frequent credit checks. But there’s a bigger story here.
After two casinos opened in Buffalo in 2001, gambling-related crimes, like check forgery and attempted burglary, skyrocketed. The outbreak inspired Judge Mark Farrell to create a gambling-treatment court that utilizes counseling sessions and credit checks.
“We need these types of diversionary treatment courts because they have been so successful in the drug-court area," Farrell told Family News in Focus. "We are seeing significant success in gambling intervention."
The court touts an impressive track record. Out of the 100-plus defendants who have gone through the program, only one was re-arrested for a crime unrelated to gambling. Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, gave the court two thumbs up.
“It makes sense to have a diversionary program in the justice system to help problem gamblers to get treatment that they need rather than sending them into the justice system and not addressing the underlying cause of their addiction which is gambling,” he said.
Chad Hills, analyst for gambling research and policy for Focus on the Family Action, likes the proactive approach, but says the moral of the story is that cities should think twice before saying “yes” to casinos.
“Gambling causes crime,” he said. “New York was naïve to believe that if they increased gambling, they would not also see an increase in crime.”
