A recent surge in poker popularity has some area addiction treatment centers worried about a possible increase in gambling addictions.

The Ben Gordon Center in DeKalb, 12 Health Services Drive, has already seen a change in the number of people coming in with gambling problems, said Michael Flora, center president and CEO.

“We offer a full range of services for patients suffering from any addiction,” Flora said. “Folks usually come in with family or relationship problems, and a lot of times we find that the result of the problem is gambling.”

Gambling addictions are tough to distinguish because a number of symptoms result because of it, Flora said. Gambling addicts may need to be treated for more than just gambling.

“They get a sense of hopelessness, helplessness and worthlessness,” Flora said. “A lot of the time, alcohol use results from [a gambling addiction].”

The Ben Gordon Center addresses depression in gambling patients and also works with credit counseling services to help addicts with their financial difficulties.

“Sometimes it’s an obsessive-compulsive thing,” Flora said. “They’ll end up [winning] eventually, even if it’s just a [small win]. It’s an adrenaline rush, and they want it again.”

Bob Stenander, corporate services clinician specializing in gambling addiction at Proctor Hospital in Peoria, said he has not seen any increase in compulsive gambling.

Gambling addiction is a pathological addiction, Stenander said. Increases as a direct result of a poker craze may not be seen for a few years – if at all.

“[An alcohol addict] may start with beer and go to booze and to tequila, just as a gambling addict may start with something as simple as instant lotto tickets and [move to another form of gambling],” Stenander said.

Online gaming is one of the most dangerous new forms of gambling, Flora said.

“[Online gamblers] feel like they are not playing with real money,” Flora said. “At least at a casino or on a boat, they can see real money in their hand.”

About 2 to 3 percent of the population can be classified as a person with a pathological gambling problem, Stenander said.

He said pathological gamblers have one of the highest suicide rates of any addiction, and the problem is not to be taken lightly.

“There’s more to it than just saying “I have a gambling problem and I need to quit,” Stenander said.