A Breakup Letter to Gambling Addiction

February 8, 2019

To My Gambling Problem, This isn’t easy for me, but it’s time for me to be honest: It’s over. For years, I had been fooling myself by thinking things between us would change. With you, it was always tomorrow, next week, next month, next year – but you could never let me just be me….read more

This Year’s Big Game Expected to Set Betting Record

January 23, 2019

After some of the closest NFL Conference Championship games to date – with both going into overtime – the stage is set for the big game: the New England Patriots will take on the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday in Atlanta. The biggest football game of the year draws hundreds of millions of viewers and…read more

Tax Season is Upon Us: Can Gambling Losses Be Deducted?

January 18, 2019

It’s that time of year again: tax filing season. While gathering your receipts, W-2s, and 1099s, you may wonder what income and expenses you have to report, what you can deduct, and what may be different this year. You are not alone. The biggest tax reform legislation in more than 30 years became effective on…read more

Think Twice Before Placing Bets on the Playoff Picture

December 21, 2018

It’s Week 16 of the NFL 2018 Regular Season, and we’re coming down to the wire. The last two weeks of games were filled with upsets that shook the playoff picture, including the one that still has South Florida abuzz – the Miracle in Miami. Favored by 9 points, the New England Patriots kicked a…read more

Responsible Gambling During the Holidays: Why Lottery Tickets Make Dangerous Gifts for Minors

December 5, 2018

The Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling (FCCG) joins the National Council on Problem Gambling and the International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors at McGill University in raising awareness regarding the risks of underage lottery play during the holiday season. Today, the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling is raising awareness about responsible gambling…read more

Don’t Count On A “Lucky Break”

November 20, 2018

The smell of turkey and football is in the air – it’s starting to look a lot like thanksgiving! In this thanksgiving themed blog post, we’re sharing the history behind the “wish bone” and insight as to why you might want to pass when it comes to betting on rivalry weekend. Come On, Give Me…read more

Blurred Lines: Gaming vs. Gambling Addiction

November 19, 2018

Addiction to gaming is described in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which is used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental disorders. The DSM-5 notes that gaming must cause “significant impairment or distress” in several aspects of a person’s life including, but not limited to: an uncontrollable desire…read more

Combatting Gambling Addiction: Everyone’s Mission

November 9, 2018

As we enter Veterans Day weekend, let us begin to reflect and honor the sacrifices made by U.S military personnel and their loved ones to defend our freedom and democracy. Veterans: From all of us here at the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling – Thank you for your service.   To be a veteran in…read more

How Sports Betting Pools Risk More Than Money

October 23, 2018

Can you believe that the football season is already almost half over? Is it going the way you expected? What has been the biggest surprise so far? It’s not easy to predict the winner of all 256 regular-season NFL games – let alone the spirited matchups in the arguably more volatile college football season. It’s…read more

Speak Out Against Domestic Violence!

October 22, 2018

Defining Domestic Violence: Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another.1 Domestic violence does not discriminate and can affect anyone regardless of gender, age, nationality, religion, or social status. In the…read more