About Us

The Mississippi Council operates a help line for problem and compulsive gamblers, which has received 145,746 calls and helped 17,662 gamblers, their families, and their friends since its inception. Over the past year we have noticed certain trends in the calls we have received for help. In an effort to learn more about compulsive gambling and those who suffer from this disorder, we have attempted to create a database of information from these calls. However, we recognize that some callers may be in such a state of crisis that the gathering of information is impossible.

In 2022 the help line received a total of 3071 calls, of which 312 were counseling calls. Eighty-six percent (86%) of our callers are seeking help for themselves, while others are calling about their spouses (2%), relatives (8%), and friends (2%).Thirty percent (30%) of our callers listed the internet as their referral source, while seventeen percent (17%) heard about our helpline number through the casinos.

MCPCG refers compulsive gamblers and their families to Gamblers Anonymous meetings, regional mental health centers, private treatment providers, and consumer credit counseling centers. MCPCG also offers text and chat in addition to our other help line services.

In 2008, the Council added a new component to our help line services. This component, Call to Change (C2C) Program, will provide additional support to our help line callers in taking the next step toward counseling and/or Gamblers Anonymous. The Call to Change (C2C) Program is a six-week enhanced case management/relapse prevention program for problem gamblers consisting of phone sessions with a C2C counselor, weekly mailings and homework assignments.