Vena Schexnayder, founder of the nonprofit Arkansas Problem Gambling Council of Little Rock.
Vena Schexnayder became interested in gambling addiction after a family member lost “a lot of money” placing bets.
“I knew what alcoholism looked like. I knew what drug addiction looked like,” she said. “I did not know what gambling addiction looked like until I got the statement … saying that our accounts had been depleted.”
But Arkansas didn’t offer direct treatment counseling services for those with gambling addictions, said Schexnayder, who holds a master’s in social work from Louisiana State University and had been providing drug counseling services.
So she decided to change that, founding the nonprofit Arkansas Problem Gambling Council of Little Rock. It received a state contract last year to provide gambling education and treatment for Arkansans. The contract can be renewed annually for six years.
As executive director of APGC, Schexnayder said she’s working on spreading the word to clinicians and people who need treatment for problem gambling that her organization can help.
“Problem gambling is considered the silent addiction because of the mental health stigma, accessibility and attitudes about addiction,” she said.
APGC received $200,000 from the state’s Rainy Day Fund for its first year, which started Nov. 1.
The money will cover the cost of treatment and a portion will go toward education and awareness campaigns.
APGC has treated between 10 and 15 people since November. It has subcontracts for treatment with Arisa Health Inc. of Springdale, for the West Memphis area and northwest Arkansas, The Centers of Little Rock and Exodus.Life of Pine Bluff.
There is no inpatient treatment facility in Arkansas to treat those with gambling addictions — yet.
Schexnayder said that she hopes within the next three years to have a facility for problem gamblers in Arkansas, as Louisiana does.
Schexnayder is concerned about the approval last year of mobile sports betting through one of Arkansas’ three casinos, allowing players to use a device or computer from anywhere in the state to bet on college and professional sports. Before, a bettor would have to be inside an Arkansas casino to wager.
Between March and December 2022, about $125 million had been wagered in online sports betting in Arkansas, according to the Arkansas Department of Finance & Administration.
The online sports betting revenue numbers “may include a record number of unreported Arkansans with problem gambling issues” because of the easy online access, Schexnayder said.
APGC is not against gaming. “We understand that people will play, and we want them to have fun,” Schexnayder said. “The majority of Arkansas do play responsibly, but as the access increases, especially with the digital gaming, sports betting 24/7 on the phone, on your computer, those risks will also increase as well.”
Funding the Program
In 2018, Arkansans approved amending the state Constitution to allow casinos in four counties. The amendment also required the Arkansas Racing Commission to create a problem gambling treatment program with $200,000 going toward it annually, said Scott Hardin, a state spokesman.
“However, it did not identify the source of the funding,” he wrote in an email. “Additionally, the amendment specifically listed ‘education and treatment’ of problem gambling.”
The Racing Commission had to make sure that the program created actually met the intent of that language, most importantly the word “treatment,” Hardin said.
The Arkansas Racing Commission’s budget now will include an additional $200,000 every year for the problem gambling education and treatment program, he said.
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