Little did I realize four years ago the impact the simple statement, "Sure, I'll give you a hand," would have on me personally and professionally. That response was made to a request from Al Mathiason of our department's Mental Health Division who was in the midst of deciding who would receive state support for pilot outpatient treatment programs for compulsive gamblers and their families. After a few long cups of coffee with Al, sitting in with the review committee and reading a few articles, I was hooked. Here was a whole new dimension to the work I'd been doing in human services and corrections for more than 25 years. It was fascinating in its psychology, its economic magnitude, its history and, most graphically, its power to devastate. The reality was that I knew very little about it - even after studying and sitting in the midst of mental health and chemical dependency for so many years.

What to do? I'd learned just enough to not comfortably blow it off and focus just on the job I was getting paid for and once in a while I'd feel some embarrassment on asking very simple, fundamental questions like "What's behind or causes problem or compulsive gambling?" "What's its progression?" "How does a gambler or the family recover?" "Where else in society do it's tentacles reach?" On and on. Then, good fortune struck. Al decided to retire and I landed in a job I knew would be exciting, incredibly challenging and offer a solution to my personal dilemma. I got to go to school free and begin to fill the gap in my knowledge base to look beyond the odds. What a deal and I didn't have to buy pull tabs or lottery tickets, play the slots or lay money on the table at a casino.

I've had some wonderful tutors over the past four years and am grateful to them for their patience in getting me through at least Gambling 101. I no longer stare with glassy eyes when someone says more than $5 billion is wagered in Minnesota every year. I now understand that the gambling industry touches the lives of almost every individual and family. While most people gamble responsibly and the economic benefits are many, I've also learned about the downside. It is heard in the stories of people - young and old - whose gambling is out of control, has gone past being social or recreational and become utterly devastating to family, friends and job, often at significant cost to many businesses, governmental agencies and taxpayers. I also came to understand that problem gambling knows no social, economic, religious, political, age, gender or cultural boundaries.

However, I don't despair. The people I have been able to work with have convinced me that problem gambling will not be able to remain the "invisible disease." The shroud of secrecy has at least been cracked, if not broken and I'm hopeful. Hopeful because we have started to invest in public education, prevention and research, acknowledged the importance of staff development and training and are on the threshold of being able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of policy makers that treatment is effective, that it's a sound investment in state and private health care dollars. But most of all, I'm hopeful because the number of people asking questions keeps growing every day; people working in schools, corrections, mental health centers, human service agencies, businesses, churches, chemical dependency, employee assistance, physical medicine, etc. By adding gambling to their list of things to check out with clients they be-come part of the solution.

So, I've had a fascinating and fast ride the past four years, and feel very fortunate that I was in the right place at the right time surrounded by people in recovery and providers who were willing to teach me. Thanks!

-Jay Bambery,
Deptartment ofHuman Services