Last October, as soon as Connecticut legalized sports gambling, Mike downloaded the FanDuel app and started betting. The man gives his name - Brown can't provide personal information, so let's call him Mike - and says he's in his early 20s. On this December day, Brown grabs her phone and answers with her standard greeting: 'Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling help line. Like other states that have rushed to legalize sports betting since the Supreme Court struck down a federal ban in May 2018, Connecticut is in the middle of giant spike in both the volume of calls and the number of callers who specifically mention sports gambling as a part of their problem.

The incoming call is from someone who reached out to Connecticut's version of what many states now have, a toll-free help line for people who think they might have a gambling problem. She's hesitant to talk about herself, but she has the perfect blend of empathy and fierceness to deal with people struggling with addiction. As a little girl, she attended 12-step meetings with her dad as he tried to get sober (he did), and has seen the ravages of addiction elsewhere in her family, too. A licensed counselor for drug, alcohol and gambling addiction, she's a 14-year veteran working in addiction services, including the past five at the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling. 'CCPG HELPLINE,' it says.īrown, 36, is the exact person you want answering a problem gambling help line. In early December, her phone rings and shows a caller ID that sends her rushing to pick up as soon as humanly possible. The phone is always there - on the counter in front of her, on the couch beside her, even on the changing table if there's a new diaper necessary. KAITLIN BROWN'S WORK cellphone has an obscenely loud ringtone, and when it goes off during the day, it routinely startles her and her 2-year-old daughter, Emilia. Inside the life of a gambling help line worker

You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser

Casino chalk font