Four Winds Casinos is committed to promoting responsible gaming at all locations
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi’s Four Winds® Casinos, in collaboration with the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), are dedicating the month of March to helping people increase their awareness about problem gambling and engage in positive action. The 2022 campaign theme is “Awareness + Action” and the hashtag this year is #PGAM2022. Groups across America will be holding conferences, airing public service announcements, providing counselor trainings, hosting health screening days, running social media campaigns and engaging in other activities to increase public awareness of problem gambling and the availability of prevention, treatment and recovery services.
Problem gambling is defined as all gambling behavior patterns that compromise, disrupt or damage personal, family or vocational pursuits. Approximately two million adults in the U.S. are estimated to meet the criteria for severe problem gambling. Another four to six million adults meet the criteria for mild or moderate problem gambling.
Commenting on Four Winds Casinos support of Problem Gambling Awareness month, Frank Freedman, Chief Operating Officer said, “The Pokagon Gaming Authority and its Four Winds Casinos have been, and will continue to be, fully committed to promoting responsible gaming at all of our locations in Michigan and Indiana, as well as our online casino and sportsbook. Our team members complete mandatory training programs which focus on understanding the gambling disorder, recognizing behaviors, and how to provide helpful resources to our guests.”
All Four Winds Casino locations display printed brochures that include information regarding signs of problem gambling and toll-free hotline numbers for the national helpline as well as the Michigan and Indiana state helpline numbers. In addition to the employee training and the resources made available to guests, the Pokagon Band Gaming Commission independently administers and processes requests from guests wishing to self-exclude from Four Winds Casino properties or its online casino and sportsbook. More information and resources provided by Four Winds Casinos can be found at following link www.fourwindscasino.com/responsiblegaming.
Four Winds Casinos has been a major sponsor for the NCPG’s National Conference on Problem Gambling, the largest and longest running conference on problem gaming worldwide. Four Winds Casinos has also contributed over $220,000 to the NCPG in voluntary sponsorships and membership dues. Raquel Buari, Vice President of Compliance at Four Winds Casinos, holds a seat on the Board of Directors for the NCPG, the Michigan Association on Problem Gambling, and the Indiana Council on Problem Gambling.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network at (800) 522-4700 or visit www.ncpg.org/chat for confidential help. Michigan residents can also contact the Michigan Association on Problem Gambling at michiganapg@gmail.com or call the state helpline at (800) 270-7117. Those living in Indiana can reach out to the Indiana Council on Problem Gambling at christinagray@indianaproblemgambling.org or call the state helpline at (800) 994-8448.
For more information about problem gambling and how to increase awareness and action on problem gambling, please visit www.ncpgambling.org/pgam.
About The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians of Michigan and Indiana
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi’s sovereignty was reaffirmed under legislation signed into law by President Clinton in September of 1994. The Pokagon Band is dedicated to providing community development initiatives such as housing, education, family services, medical care, and cultural preservation for its more than 5,900 citizens. The Pokagon Band’s ten-county service area includes four counties in Southwestern Michigan and six in Northern Indiana. Its main administrative offices are located in Dowagiac, Mich., with a satellite office in South Bend, Ind. In 2007, it opened Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich., followed by Four Winds Hartford in 2011, Four Winds Dowagiac in 2013 and Four Winds South Bend in January 2018. The Pokagon Band operates a variety of businesses via Mno-Bmadsen, its non-gaming investment enterprise. More information is available at www.pokagonband-nsn.gov, www.fourwindscasino.com and www.mno-bmadsen.com.
About the National Council on Problem Gambling
Based in Washington DC, the National Council on Problem Gambling is the only national nonprofit organization that seeks to minimize the economic and social costs associated with gambling addiction. If you or someone you know may have a gambling problem, contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline, which offers hope and help without stigma or shame. Call or text 1-800-522-4700 or visit www.ncpgambling.org/chat.
Help is available 24/7 – it is free and confidential.
