Problem Gambling Treatment Maine

Casino gaming: Land-based casino gaming is legal in Maine, but only found at two facilities; Hollywood Casino in Bangor and Oxford Casino in Oxford. Online casino gambling is not legal in Maine, and therefore there are no real money online slots, table games, or digital poker rooms beyond what is offered to residents via the illegal offshore market. Social and sweepstakes casinos are permitted, which is problematic when considering that the same mental/behavioral health harms associated with traditional casino gaming is evident with social/sweepstakes casino participation (among vulnerable persons). Lottery and horse race wagering are also legal.

Online sports betting: On November 3, 2023. Governor Janet Mills signed LD 585 into law, making retail and online sports betting legal. Caesars and DraftKings are both live and accepting sports bets in the state.

Recent data regarding gambling addiction to account for the proliferation of regulated sports betting, is scarce for Maine. However, a report from Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services from 2018 (the same year the federal ban on sports betting was removed) indicates the following baseline information:

• An estimated 2.2% of Maine adults (nearly 30,000 residents) were shown to manifest a gambling disorder

Until Maine commits to investing in other prevalence data to identify the extent of problem gambling in the state, it’s logic to infer that residents share the following gambling addiction statistics with the rest of America:

• 20% of sports bettors are in or have been in debt from sports betting ( source )
• Average gambling addict (male) debt is between $55,000 and $90,000 ( source )
• About 3% of problem gamblers in the USA are $300,000 in debt due to their addiction ( source )
• Nearly 15% of problem gamblers have committed a crime to support their addiction ( source )
• Divorce rate for habitual gamblers is 31% compared to 21% for those who rarely gamble ( source )
• Suicide rate is 16 times higher for problem gamblers ( source )

Kindbridge provides effective treatment in a virtual (online or by-phone) environment. Our counselors are accessible, whether you’re in Augusta, Bangor, Portland, Rockland, Wells or any of the other cities, towns, and communities within the Pine Tree State.

In addition to problem gambling, Kindbridge counselors have expertise treating other mental/behavioral health issues that you may live with, such as anxiety and depression which impact 37.5% of the population in Maine. When seeking support from Kindbridge, you have the option to choose from one-on-one therapy, group therapy, or a combined approach. You also have the option to switch therapists at anytime, should you desire a match that you feel is more suitable.

A problematic relationship with gambling also has an impact on loved ones. In addition to gambling addiction treatment for individuals in ME, Kindbridge provides couples and family counseling.

Kindbridge Behavioral Health offers flexible pricing for online and telehealth counseling. Problem gambling treatment rates and subscriptions can be found here. ME residents may also qualify for direct billing through our insurance partners.