March Madness is almost here. Across the country, employees are eagerly awaiting the start of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament so they can pick teams for their office pools.
Even though some experts maintain that an office pool is a harmless diversion that could bring camaraderie, it can have a significant impact on the productivity of the company. In fact, it has been estimated that the total losses for American businesses range between $400 million to $1.5 billion during the course of the tournament (Detroit News, March 2004).
“This seemingly harmless March Madness pool could also lead to personal problems for the employee, such as developing a gambling problem,” says Marie Apke of Bensinger DuPont & Associates, Inc., a Chicago-based provider of employee assistance programs and operator of 1-800-Gambler hot line. “Research demonstrates (Custer and Milte 1985) that one common variable among pathological gamblers is the experience of winning big at the beginning of their gambling career. An employee that gets very ‘lucky’ and wins the pool at work could lead him to believe he should gamble more often.”
Knowing that, Bensinger, DuPont & Associates (BDA) evaluated the responses employees gave when calling the EAP for services. Employees calling who admitted they gamble felt that the need to bet more money was twice as high in March than during February (BDA, Statistics 2006). Those employees were not calling to request help for gambling problems, but for other employee assistance concerns.
Apke also points out that more people seek help to stop or control their sports betting during March and April than at other times during the year. “BDA also operates various gambling helplines. Our analysis shows that in each of the last three years (2004-2006), 30%-35% more calls were placed during these two months than during the rest of the year.”
Employers need to realize that harmless March Madness office pools could lead to problems down the road. While one bet a year doesn't mean a person has a problem, seemingly innocent 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
414.352.3535; ckazan[at]communik-pr.com
Cindy Kazan
Communi-K, Inc.
ckazan[at]communik-pr.com
414.352.3535
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