It may seem unwise to let a reformed gambling addict interact with the public trust. But it appears that his efforts to help other problem gamblers are bearing fruit.
Ted Hartwell, a member of the board of directors for the National Council on Problem Gambling, underscores the complexity of the situation. Treatment — and dogged persistence — paid off for him.
Hartwell recounts his journey out of gambling
Hartwell told Playfecta.com that he once had video gambling debts of approximately $80,000. He went through a long process of counseling, discipline, and discovery about his gambling problem’s origins. Since then, Hartwell has regained life direction, paid off his debts, and begun helping others.
During Problem Gambling Awareness Month, he has conducted several interviews and maintained his own vigilance. Hartwell has not made a bet since 2007.
“It is certainly not true that there is no hope for people in this situation,” he told Playfecta.com. “If you advocate for awareness, education, and quality treatment, there is a strong chance you can become successful [at quitting gambling]. We know from research that of people who go through state-sponsored programs, about one year later, 90% of them are abstinent.”
That’s excellent news on a human level, much like progress in treating alcoholism or substance abuse would be viewed.
Gambling addiction has its own set of brain indicators
Hartwell identifies chemical factors like dopamine, neurotransmitters, and other brain factors as triggers of overindulgence in gambling. It’s a more sophisticated description of something we might otherwise consider adrenaline or overstimulation.
How someone is placed in the position where conditions are ripe to become a gambling addict is another area of study.
“What you discover in many situations is that reasons you were gambling in the first place may have something to do with an emotional or physical pain of some kind,” Hartwell said. “A person can use gambling as a way to check out of life, to avoid responsibility and pain. People with a gambling problem are not gambling to win, they are gambling to stay in action.”
Sports betting abuse may be a result of mental health issues
Recent high-profile sports world gambling abuses have included part of this theme. Parx Racing jockey Mychel Sanchez has indicated through his attorney that he was depressed before he flouted the public trust and bet against himself in a race. Recently suspended Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley had taken a break from the team for his mental well-being prior to being caught gambling on his own team.
It’s easy to believe Sanchez and Ridley may be grasping at convenient compliance measures to enable them to return to action. But whether or not that’s true, the conditions they described may pinpoint the problem’s origins and thus be a catalyst for treatment for anyone with a gambling problem.
Hartwell identified his plight as an unexpected fall from stature. He’d been a successful poker player and wanted to the World Series of Poker tour, pre-internet. But he tossed away money playing video poker and fell behind.
Complicating the situation, he said, was a voice disorder that made him see gambling as an avenue to escape not being able to do things. He chased the losses; they mounted. He lied about gambling and finally realized he needed to do something.
Hartwell, feeling he could lose his relationships with his wife and young daughter, was able to seek help. Although his marriage ended several years later, Hartwell said it was not because of gambling and that he maintains a friendship with his ex-wife and has a relationship with his daughter.
As he helps others, Hartwell also attends group therapy, consults with colleagues, and maintains a vigilant battle to stay away from trouble. Who better to counsel a problem gambler than someone still fighting the good fight themselves?
Ted Hartwell has an outcome worth sharing
According to his bio on NG, Hartwell helped introduce the organization’s youth gambling awareness and family gambling awareness programs into the Clark County School District in Nevada. He has recently developed NG educational programs for local schools on the topics of video gaming disorder and student-athlete gambling awareness. He’s a cellist with the Las Vegas Philharmonic and a soccer and volleyball coach. Hartwell is, simultaneously, a vehicle for and a recipient of help.
Hartwell credits the NFL and operators like DraftKings with contributing resources to further education efforts. Hartwell’s journey, and others like his, outlines the parallel paths of the gambling and sports worlds.
From an industry standpoint, it’s likely that a reformed gambler can’t be trusted as a participant. As the person fights off demons, they remain under pressure to produce and in the eye of public industry. And there is often a period of relapse.
From an individual standpoint, however, these situations reveal that leagues, sportsbook operators, and anyone funding Hartwell’s organization are paying more than lip service to this issue.
Yes, it would be hard, almost impossible, for most people to wager on any event involving Ridley or Sanchez, or any athlete tied to a gambling incident. Yes, long suspensions may appear draconian to some. But to most, the measures only represent tough love.
And tough love is love nonetheless.
