Professors Andy Meyers and Jim Whelan want to make a difference in the lives of many Memphis-area residents. After opening a gambling clinic in 1998 and seeing promising results from patients, the two professors are asking the federal government to help support their successful efforts.
Starting with only a small amount of money, the professors opened the Gambling Clinic to treat compulsive gamblers and help clients change their gambling habits. The clinic, which has served about 120 clients, had been operating on a $50,000 grant from the Assisi Foundation and on resources, like space and staffing, from The University of Memphis.
The professors applied this month to the National Institutes of Health for a $1.25 million grant.
“It could take a couple of years to receive feedback,” said Whelan. “This summer, the application will go through a rigorous review process.”
The NIH funding would be good for five years and would allow the program to expand its services, staff and advertising.
Whelan said the focus of the Gambling Clinic is two-fold. Firstly, they focus on ways to treat problem gambling, and then they address social issues surrounding gambling.
“We’re beginning to see that Tunica has an impact on Memphis,” said Whelan. “We’ve developed ways to treat gambling, blending our two professional interests.”
The Gambling Clinic treats people for a modest fee, and college students are welcome to get help there if they think they might need it.
According to Whelan, problem gambling is highest among college-aged students. The percentage of students with problem gambling behavior is twice the rate in the general adult population.
“Problems grow with the frequency of gambling,” said Meyers. “It is difficult to regulate the gambling business in our society, but (society) has to be able to deal with the consequences.”
The professors’ goal is to provide cost-efficient, quick treatment that would get clients back to their lives as soon as possible. The six-session treatment begins with motivational interviews and ends with talks on how to rid gambling of its temptation.
According to Whelan, 1 to 2 percent of the population in North America meets diagnostic criteria for problem gambling. Furthermore, 5 to 7 percent experience serious negative consequences, meaning that the behavior does serious harm to parts of their lives.
Whelan found that those who completed their treatment gambled much less frequently — 82 percent less than before. He estimates that nearly 90 percent of the clinic’s clientele meets some of the American Psychiatric Associations criteria for pathological gamblers.
Gambling is legalized in 47 U.S. states. Tennessee, Hawaii and Utah are the only states that have not yet legalized gambling, and according to Meyers, the Legislature is considering the lottery in Tennessee.
