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Lawmakers question value of compulsive gamblers program

Thursday, July 14, 2005 | 9:56 a.m.

ATLANTA -- A lottery-funded program created to help compulsive gamblers is in danger of being cut from the state budget unless it makes significant steps toward showing its worth in the coming months, lawmakers said Tuesday.

State auditors recently concluded the Georgia Department of Human Resources' Compulsive Gambling Program is unable to show whether it has had a positive impact on the public or provided any treatment for gambling addicts.

The findings angered key lawmakers who sit on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which helps draft the state's $17 billion budget.

The program receives $200,000 each year in unclaimed prize money from the Georgia Lottery Corp. It was developed in conjunction with a bill that created the lottery. About 2.4 percent of Georgia adults -- about 141,000 people -- have compulsive gambling problems, according to a 2000 Georgia State University Study.

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