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State unveils gambling survey
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Tom Leksan knows the consequences of gambling addictions.
The longtime Cincinnati attorney is facing the suspension of his law license for the improper handling of client funds — an activity that he said stemmed from trying to hide his gambling losses.
“I’m the story that you read about. The guy who had a great career, a great marriage, great everything going for him,” Leksan said
“The career is gone probably, the marriage is ended, and I’m 60 years old, and I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do.”
Leksan put a face on gambling addiction during a press conference at the Statehouse on Monday, where state officials unveiled a new survey of potential problem gambling.
The survey of 3,600 Ohioans was conducted by the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, Kent State University and Ohio for Responsible Gambling in advance of the opening of the state’s new casinos and “racinos” (horse tracks offering lottery-run electronic slots).
The results indicated that about 26,000 Ohioans would be considered problem gamblers, with another 220,000 at low or moderate risk of becoming so.
The totals represent a small percentage of the state’s 8.8 million residents.
The survey also indicated that more than 43 percent of Ohioans don’t gamble at all, and about 4.5 million of those aren’t at risk for gambling addictions.
Problem-gambling rates were higher in Hamilton County, with residents in the Cincinnati area living closer to legal gaming in Indiana and Kentucky.
The survey also identified higher problem rates for those playing the lottery or other gambling options in comparison to casinos.
Orman Hall, director of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, categorized the results as “low to normal” and said the survey provided a baseline before the opening of the state’s casinos and the start of video lottery terminals at horse tracks.
Another study will be conducted in several years to determine whether problem gambling is increasing.
“What we have now is a clear understanding of the degree to which problem gambling has impacted our state prior to the implementation of casinos and racinos,” Hall said. “And we’re going to be able to go back in a few years and measure the impact of the increased availability in our state.”
Leksan, who faced a disciplinary panel last week, said gambling addiction can affect anyone.
“If your picture of a compulsive gambler is a guy who’s got a five-day beard at 12 o’clock on a Sunday night at a racetrack, that ain’t it,” he said. “In going to gamblers anonymous for 10 years, there are doctors, there are other lawyers, there are nurses, there are housewives, there are schoolteachers.”