SACRAMENTO – The state Senate has passed a bipartisan resolution by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) declaring March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month in California.

The purpose of the declaration is to raise public awareness of problem gambling and connect individuals in need with treatment.

“Awareness and access to services are critical for anyone struggling with addiction, and that includes those facing gambling problems," said Dodd. “I hope this will promote better understanding of problem gambling and prompt people struggling with problem gambling seek help.”

National Problem Gambling Awareness Month was established in 1972 by the National Council on Problem Gambling. Gambling Disorder is classified by the American Psychiatric Association as an addiction that is similar to alcohol and drug dependence in many of the causes and consequences.

The disorder is not only an addiction, but can include co-occurring physical and mental health issues.

“Gambling problems have devastating consequences on finances, relationships and mental and physical health, and will affect more than one million adults in California in their lifetime,” said Robert Jacobson, executive director of the California Council on Problem Gambling. “We thank and applaud Sen. Dodd, and the entire Senate, for their efforts to raise awareness of this critical issue.”

The Office of Problem Gambling and the UCLA Gambling Studies Program operate the California Gambling Education and Treatment Services, which has provided treatment for more than 13,000 problem gamblers and people with gambling disorder since 2010.

The collaborative offers a wide array of services, including self-help workbooks, telephone counseling, and outpatient and residential care.

The Office of Problem Gambling offers resources on its website, and the problem gambling helpline provides free, confidential, problem gambling assistance at 1-800-GAMBLER (426-2537). The service is operated 24 hours a day, and in Fiscal Year 2016-17, the helpline received over 24,000 calls.

Dodd represents the Third Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sonoma, Contra Costa and Sacramento counties. Visit his Web site at at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.