They steal from family members and employers. They max-out multiple credit cards and write bad checks. They lie to family members and friends to hide the painful truth.
They are Wisconsins compulsive gamblers, and many of them have paid a steep price for betting on everything from slot machines, to high-stakes card games and massive lottery jackpots.
The 24-hour helpline operated by the Green Bay-based Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling received 14,690 calls in 2015, only 41 fewer than the record 14,731 in 2014.
The average debt of those who contacted the helpline in 2015 was $39,033.
Rose Gruber, executive director of the council, said the hig…
Read the full article at: http://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/local/2016/02/08/compulsive-gambling-takes-heavy-toll/79997848/