Through a partnership with Bellevue University, it also helps provide gambling addiction training to counselors by subsidizing training tuition costs.įinancially, the agency has seen better days.Īccording to annual reports, the only time the agency saw an increase in revenue during the past five years was last year when the pandemic slashed available counseling hours by 10% and, in a cost-cutting move, funds for local outreach programs were eliminated.ĭavid Geier is the director of the program and says since its inception in 1992, the program has suffered from budget issues. The Nebraska Gamblers Assistance Program is the state agency that connects problem gamblers in Nebraska like Sciandra to gambling addiction resources - free of charge. (The) last time I filed bankruptcy I'm pretty sure I was $40,000 to $50,000 in debt,” he said.
The council defines a problem gambler as someone “with gambling behavior patterns that compromise, disrupt or damage personal family or vocational pursuits.” Sciandra said he would visit check-cashing operations, max out credit cards and borrow money from friends and family. The National Council on Problem Gambling would define someone like Sciandra as a problem gambler. “Anything from skill touch machines to go into the casinos, to sports, gambling, Keno, you name it. “I played a little bit of everything,” he said.
