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Public commenter urges Kenosha County to plan gambling-disorder services if a casino is approved
Summary
Veronica King told the board Kenosha has only four certified clinicians for gambling disorder and no local Gamblers Anonymous group, and urged supervisors to include mental-health services in planning for a proposed casino, citing higher suicide-attempt risk among people with gambling disorder.
During citizens' comments Veronica King, who identified herself and gave a local address, urged the county board to include mental-health supports in planning related to a proposed Kenosha casino.
King said she attended a Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling conference in Waukesha and relayed research showing people with gambling disorder are about 15 times more likely to attempt suicide than the general public. She also cited Illinois data that over 25,000 calls were made to the state's gambling hotline in 2023, more than double the 2022 call volume, and said Kenosha currently has four clinicians certified to treat gambling-use disorder and no local Gamblers Anonymous meetings (the nearest group she cited is in Racine at Grace Lutheran Church on Washington Avenue).
"As we push forward towards the casino, I'm asking you county board supervisors to make sure that the mental health services are available in the community," King said, asking the board to ensure certified clinicians and self-help options are part of planning.
The board did not respond with a formal directive in the transcript; citizens' comments closed after no other speakers were recorded. The county did not provide a staff report or follow-up plan in the meeting minutes available in the transcript.
