The “harmless” March Madness pools that will be popping up over the next couple of weeks can have a significant impact on office productivity --- with an estimated total loss for American businesses ranging between $400 million to $1.5 billion during the course of the tournament (Detroit News, March 2004).
“What’s more, March Madness pools can also lead to personal problems for an employee, such as developing a gambling problem,” says Marie Apke of Bensinger DuPont & Associates, Inc., (BDA) a Chicago-based provider of employee assistance programs and operator of 1-800-Gambler additional hot line. Apke points to these findings:
BDA evaluated the responses employees gave when calling the EAP for services. They found that --- of the employees calling who admitted they gamble --- the number of employees expressing the need to bet an increasing amount money was twice as high during March than February (BDA, 2006). These employees were not calling to request help for gambling problems, but for other employee assistance concerns.
More people seek help to stop or control their sports betting during March and April than at other times during the year. BDA’s analysis of the various gambling helplines it operates shows that in each of the last three years (2004-2006), 30%-35% more calls were placed during March and April than during the rest of the year.
Says Apke, “Employers need to realize that March Madness office pools are often catalysts for some people to become involved in sports betting because they get a taste of the world of gambling.”
Bensinger DuPont & Associates is a privately owned professional services company that is dedicated to promoting healthy outcomes for employees, the workplace, individuals and their families through a wide range of consultation, training and counseling services. For additional information, Marie Apke can be reached at 1-800-227-8620.
Media Contact: Cindy Kazan
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