How You Can Help: It’s Problem Gambling Awareness Month
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - JULY 8: Blackjack dealer Mario Reyes prepares his table at Caesars Atlantic City
March is “Problem Gambling Awareness Month.” Much like other addictions like drugs or alcohol we all know someone or know of someone who suffers from a gambling addiction.
Discussing the subject with a friend or family member you believe has a problem is always difficult. They need to believe that they have an issue and be willing to get help. Most of the time, by the time that happens their lives have been destroyed in many ways.
Casino.org says, “Responsible gambling is when you are playing for fun, you are in full control of what you are playing and how much you are playing with, have set and defined limits which you stick to, and are not causing yourself to suffer financially or mentally as a result of your play.”
They suggest that your gambling is getting out of control, you’re lying about gambling, or it’s significantly affecting your finances, you should seek help. This is easier said than done.
Nightmare Gambling Stories for Problem Gambling Awareness Month
I know of a few people who lost everything. They lied to their family which made it impossible to reconcile. Most stories I hear about involve someone who needs to sell belongings, steal, and go into debt to support their gambling addiction. I knew a problem gambler who was very successful in their career but would spend much of their time and all of their earnings on gambling.
Their business collapsed under the weight of the debts. Their family and friends including me, were shocked when it was exposed. They were eventually arrested for fraud and sent to jail for nearly two years.
Alex Korsager, a spokesperson for Casino.org shared with me, “Problem Gambling Awareness Month allows us to reflect on what can, unfortunately, go under the radar for addiction for many and hold a light to a growing problem across the country. Gambling addiction, unlike the frequently compared substance problems, is often left untreated as it may present as a more invisible issue and one that anyone can fall victim to. Problem Gambling Awareness Month is a time to recognize the addiction when you see it and get help.”
What Can I Do to Help
Sometimes it can be just a matter of asking, “Are you betting more than you can afford to lose?” “Are you borrowing money to gamble?” When gambling stops being fun and starts becoming a problem it’s the moment to seek professional help through intervention, calling the gambling addiction hotline, or contacting a gambling-addiction organization.
5 Artists We Want To See Play The Sphere In Vegas
After years and millions of dollars, the high-tech entertainment venue that is the Las Vegas Sphere has become “a world-first immersive destination.” The venue first opened in Las Vegas in September 2023, snagging U2 with an ongoing concert residency starting on September 29 and running through March 2. The band’s longtime collaborator and technical director Stefaan “Smasher” Desmedt and technology partner Weka worked together to make the band’s stunning visual imagery in 4K video.
The Future of Entertainment
The Sphere’s LED screen inside the theater is 160,000 square feet, boasting 16,000 pixels by 16,000 pixels — the highest resolution in the world. Also featuring 1,600 speaker panels using spatial audio through the screen without any visible speakers in the auditorium, the venue makes those in attendance fully immersed in sound and visuals. The arena can hold up to 18,600 guests in the auditorium. It is no wonder why the company wants to expand, as it is clearly leading the entertainment industry in the right direction.
Besides U2, rumors of Beyoncé planning a Las Vegas residency at the Sphere swirled after her Super Bowl country album announcement in which she sat atop the glowing globe. Partnering with Verizon in the $50 million advertisement, the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer tries to break the internet over and over again. Taking on different personas and skills, she opens a lemonade stand, drops a “saxy” album, becomes a Twitch gamer by the handle @IamSlayoncé, a Beyonc-AI double, Bar-Bey, running for “BOTUS,” on top of the Sphere atop a silver horse, and the first woman to launch the first rocket to the first performance in space. The commercial concluded by cryptically teasing the release of “new music,” Beyoncé’s country album, Act II, on March 29th.
According to the Sphere’s website, the immersive venue will host a wide variety of events, including concerts and residencies from the world’s biggest artists, as well as films. Take a look below at five amazing pop artists who would have amazing performances at the Sphere:
Joel Katz is the Morning Show Personality, Assistant Program Director, Podcast Host, Voiceover artist, audio producer, and Digital Content Writer for Magic 98.3. Joel has been working in New Jersey radio since college and started at Magic in 2002 as the Morning Show Host, “I can’t think of another place where I’d fit more perfectly; it’s just a great company with awesome people.” Joel is married to Kathleen, his elementary school sweetheart (they were each other’s first dates at age 9), shares a birthday with his oldest son, Ty, and has twins, Kiera and Liam. Joel runs at least 3.1 miles every day and enjoys playing basketball, doing laundry, saving his turn signal for when he really needs it, kissing dogs through a fence, using coasters, making that cool noise by rubbing his fingers on balloons, and chasing after ping pong balls on a windy cruise ship.
