John Martin of The Maryland Lottery tells Nestor about help for problem gamblers during March awareness month. There’s always help a reach away.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
people, maryland, gambling, cleveland, years, week, jackpots, nestor, numbers, john, resources, talking, gambler, work, solar eclipse, couple, sports, april, win, lottery
SPEAKERS
Nestor J. Aparicio, John Martin
Nestor J. Aparicio 00:01
Welcome home we are wn St. am 5070, Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive. We’re having a big week around your Luke and I are about to head down to Sarasota. So yeah, suspended the Maryland crabcake tour for a couple of weeks after the marathon last month, when we’re getting back after we’re going to be fade these on Fridays going to be Costas in the middle of April and Coco’s in early part of April. I’ll have crabcakes to get back to the bottom of positive stuff we do I will have the 10 times the cash to give away I have a handful of these left I know they’re going to be some fresh spring scratch offs coming our way as well. A friend of winter nation 866 90 nation I’m gonna say when donation but I’m talking doors this year because I need new doors on my joint. We’re gonna be working that out our friends at Jiffy Lube, multi care, and our newest sponsor Liberty pure solutions with the fresh clean water. I’m wearing my Costas shirt for the segment and John Martin from the Maryland lottery. He’s the Executive Director of all things Maryland lottery and gaming. I’m wearing my constant shirt this week to honor the fact that John my wife and I went in, we sat at the bar there. We’ve been known to do this. We ordered some spinach ordered a couple of the mushroom caps delicious, I would highly recommend that the fried shrimp, which I had somehow avoided the first 40 years and we look to the right we’re eating our food, Mr. Costa springs free beer for us and I turned them down because I’m driving and people were playing Keno and they won they won like big they won like $900 They won like big they were like celebrating and I thought you know John would want to know that I’m out in the community and he’s sort of things happen in my in my in cost as people play Keno they’re playing the racetrack they’re doing all that over there because they like to have a good time. So winners people win and I saw a celebration and honest to God like casino sort of roll at the table sort of everybody jumping for joy.
John Martin 01:52
People whenever de Nestor that’s our job. That’s what we do. You know, I caught myself here in the monitor and while you’re you’re very resplendent in your Costas in shirt, it looks like I’m wearing my pajamas.
Nestor J. Aparicio 02:02
Oh, it’s red, white and blue. It’s red, white and blue. All right. Yeah,
John Martin 02:06
yeah, that’s just I feel so underdressed. today. Oh,
Nestor J. Aparicio 02:10
you look like you’re doing PR for the New York Rangers. Right? A little bit. So it looks like to me, you know, but it is fun when people win. But I know we have some serious stuff to talk about here. This week. We talk about jackpots and they’re huge. My wife, trust me. She’s at the ROFO doing it. But this is March is a special month. And I think if you’ve heard the ads, if you’ve been anywhere, if you’ve seen the advertising, it’s out there billboards. You guys really making an effort here, especially after the Saturday Night Live skit a couple of weeks ago, to really tried to help people that are that can’t handle what the state has now made illegal?
John Martin 02:48
Absolutely, we it’s a big part of what we do. And yes, we’re gonna have some fun, we’re gonna have some excitement about the fact that we have significant triple digit jackpots with both Powerball and Mega Millions, at least as you and I are speaking this morning about it combined, over $1.3 billion available for players.
Nestor J. Aparicio 03:10
Mega Miko over a billion this week, Mike right literally said that,
John Martin 03:15
that’s asking a lot. I mean, they’ll you know, then that’s that’s you actually brought up a good point, the rate of growth tends to slow. I mean, we all get enamored with that billion dollar threshold. But every time we get a billion dollar jackpot, the next time up, the rate tends to slow because people figure it you know, I’ll wait for the billion, like 792 million is not enough for them. They’re gonna hold on to their 10 bucks until it gets to be billion dollars. So it tends to elongate the time in between these significant peaks. But it doesn’t mean it can’t be fun and thrilling for people, especially when they win second tier prizes. And I know we’ve got a couple of folks here who just this past Monday, when Powerball was up over $500 million, didn’t win the top prize, but they went 50,000. And we had two winners in Maryland and $50,000. On Monday, hopefully they’ll come forward soon. They have a high
Nestor J. Aparicio 04:11
150 grand right now. And this changes every week. We talk about this one as you do this because I get to dream. By 150 grand this week, I would go on vacation. Yeah, I need to get away. I’m going to Florida next week to kind of work. I’m going to try to figure out how to have a little bit of fun but like, if I want 50 grand right now I would just earmark a little bit not a lot of grand or two or three, maybe five I go to Tahiti or something but I would I would get away. It’s just Yeah, well, it’s been a long winter, John, I need the 70 degree days if I hit for 50 grand come on Nestor
John Martin 04:38
from someone who has seen snow in his lifetime. I’ve seen some things Nestor I’ve seen snow in my lifetime higher than my eye. And I will tell you to officially winter is over in Maryland, maybe not in Cleveland. But in Maryland. Everyone within the sound of my voice can put away their shovels for the season. There it is. I said it before
Nestor J. Aparicio 04:59
we get to Problem Gambling and before we get to jackpots getting up on a billion dollars in my wife at the ROFO. And I did want to compliment one of the cool things, I think about the lottery now that I’m involved with you three, four years into this, and we get together every week, I always know what the jackpots are from talking to you, my wife always sort of knew anyway, because she’s a player. But when you pull in front of places, any place and I say rural farms, you know, wise markets, wherever the lights that you have out in front that, I mean, I always know what the jackpot is. So that’s, you know, good on the distributors to putting that stuff out in the front. So I just want to say, so the Cleveland thing I got to break, we’re gonna go kayfabe here. I have friends of mine, including my wife that are chasing the solar eclipse, you know, nice. Yes, of course. April 8, okay. One of my dearest friends was my producer at nasty nationwide 20 years ago at Sporting News Radio, dyed in the wall, Cleveland supplamine, like hardcore Browns guy, all of that. All these years later, we play the Browns twice a year, he texts me win or lose. Usually they lose right by them already already. But Kenny comes on the show all the time, Bernie comes on burning lives in Cleveland. Now he moved to Portland, he’s living but he lives. He’s home. He’s back in Cleveland. And he is invited me out for the solar eclipse, right. And I got so I got into this with my wife because my wife’s going in New Hampshire with her sister up to like the Canadian border. And they’re doing it. Dr. Steve and Elliot chiropractic is doing it somewhere between Erie and Buffalo and a state park. Because that’s the kind of dude he is in a tent. You know, he’s doing that thing. And I’m thinking like, if I got a claim, and then I thought to myself, these are all places where the sun never shines. And I’m thinking to myself, last thing I want to do is commit to driving to Cleveland. How often is it cloudy and clean? I wanted to ask you this, because I said to Steve, if the if a breeze blows in off the lake, not only are you not going to see the Eclipse, it’s going to snow. I don’t want to go below the lake. I don’t want to be what’s a Cleveland, I mean, give it to me.
John Martin 06:58
Monday, April 8, which is the day of the eclipse that you speak, which will be right in the path of Cleveland, Ohio or vice versa. I
Nestor J. Aparicio 07:04
forget who was famous for something now write the saying
John Martin 07:09
and Cleveland for those of us who know and love it is that winter ends in Cleveland one week after the baseball season begins. You may remember several years ago, there was a infamous series with bleep the mariners in the Cleveland it’s snowed three days in a row. So yes, the odds, and I’m in the ads business, Esther. Ah, the odds I would say are 5050 that you’ll even see the sun let alone the eclipse of the sun. But, and the guardians are already accommodated. They moved their their home opener to later in the day. I saw that as like a downtown
Nestor J. Aparicio 07:46
celebration that oh, yeah, there’s a flight anywhere during the solar eclipse. So like, I and my wife’s doing it and friends are doing it and like I’m like, I’m gonna get my car go somewhere. But like, I’m gonna go suck like, I don’t want to go to Indianapolis or like, you know, like Arkansas, I was going to fly places and see friends. But I’m thinking the sun’s gonna shine. Why would I pick buffalo or Cleveland? I just, yeah. Anyway, John Mark, we’re back to our regular scheduled programming for this month, and for March. And in all sincerity, like you provide a phone number, I’ve pressed you on this, because people press me on it. Because, you know, I’m on social media, it’s gambling. It’s bad. It’s whatever your feeling of all of it is. We have to protect people from themselves. And I, I am not one of these people. I’m not a hardcore football guy or anything. I mean, a football guy, but not a gambler. But if I start doing crazy things on my app, I think there’s things that slow you down. Am I correct in saying that, at least to start with?
John Martin 08:47
Yeah, absolutely. And we, you know, we’ve spoken about it before, and I’m probably guilty of it. You know, we talked about well, if you need some help there just call one 800 gambler. And you know what, maybe it’s generational. I don’t think anybody you know of a certain age, even picks up the phone anymore. So the idea of calling someone may not be as helpful as I think for people of my generation who think nothing of picking up the phone and calling someone so we realized that that people who are who may be in over their heads or need some help. Maybe calling isn’t the best thing. And so for those folks, we have a website, we’ve had it for several years. It’s it’s not being kept under lock and key, it’s available. You go to M d gambling help.org M D as in Maryland, gambling help.org. And you’ll be connected to the Maryland alliance for Responsible Gambling, which is a consortium of a number of organizations. We’re very proud to be the founding member of that and we several years ago pulled a number of other agencies He’s from the state of Maryland together. People like the Department of Health, Department of Public Safety there you see it on your screen if those of you who are fortunate enough to see us on on a screen there are a number of organizations on the left that all contribute and we meet on a regular basis to sit
Nestor J. Aparicio 10:17
downs because I can read this out loud for for folks that are listening. So what is Mark? Is it mark or Marge? How
John Martin 10:24
will we mark mark our clergy Mark?
Nestor J. Aparicio 10:26
Mark? Okay to honor Okay. Marilyn alliance for Responsible Gambling mark is a statewide partnership focused on coordinating and maximizing resources to address problem gambling in Maryland marked partner organizations include the Maryland Department of Health, University of Maryland Center of Excellence on problem gambling, the Maryland lottery and gaming Control Agency, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services the Maryland State Senate the Maryland Council on Problem Gambling John up I’ll pull this up and all the casinos are here Hollywood our partners Maryland Live where I almost went the other night see Peter Frampton MGM where I’m gonna be going to see staying later on Rocky gap where I had a crab cake that was just, I mean, go to Rocky gap. It’s beautiful out there. had, we had a beautiful night. So we have great things going on here. But when I see the all that gobbledygook is I would say where if I read the news, you could call it the propaganda you like read it like that. But when you see all of these agencies put together, and we realize how far we came to get this thing. I mean, I’ve known you long enough that used to come on here every week and sweat, about how we’re gonna get mobile up and swarek. And all of these different agencies that so much has been put into the backside, to make sure that we’re not literally putting people in jail because of this, or having people suicidal, or having people lose their families. Like all of these things have been measured in other places, I’m sure Nevada has been doing this for 50 years, right Atlantic City, wherever it is. It feels like a really serious endeavor. You know what I mean? And not just me talking about it with you being exactly, it’s just, we’re conduits to talk about it. But there’s so many people and so much organization, that an infrastructure that was put in long before this isn’t we just pop out in March, and you created these things.
John Martin 12:11
There are a number of people associated with this, who this is their life’s work. I mean, you and I talked about it. In March, we talked about it for the holidays, we’re on to other things. But there are a number of highly trained, very caring individuals who this is their life’s work. And when you go to the mark website, again, MD gambling help.org, if you choose to go there, you’ll be able to scroll through a list of of organizations that are available to provide counseling assistants help you click on your county, and you can get a number of locations that you can just click on and get information and make make an appointment, see someone speak to someone, you have a chance to look at problem gambling resources that are available to you from education. Another key thing is a self assessment and like any addiction, and again, I don’t mean to lump all these together, but people who may have had some experience with drug addiction or alcohol addiction or other things. You know, the first step is is recognition to set self awareness that hey, I’ve, I need some help. And you can take the very not clinically but a self assessment that will just give you some parameters, you ask a series of questions, provide truthful answers, and really get a sense of where you are on the spectrum because you see
Nestor J. Aparicio 13:32
that your privacy of your website really right? Yeah, absolutely. I lost some money last month, this is getting to eat this. And this is something I’m focused on seven days a week too much and, and John, I’ve admitted this to you, I have a couple of people in my life that if you would have told me 15 years ago that they could click on a button, and I would tell you that there’s a really good chance they could wreck their lives, but people that I’ve employed people and I mean, I’ve been in the sports place. I mean, I’ve seen all of this I grew up Dundalk. You know, I’ve seen problem people that it’s one of the reasons I didn’t delve into that space, especially running around in locker rooms is I did feel like it could be destructive. If you have the wrong personality, the wrong perspective on it can be destructive.
John Martin 14:14
You never know what someone’s going through. And as we spoken before, you know, you see oftentimes the impact of an alcohol addiction you see someone who’s suffering from a drug addiction, it’s difficult to see someone who has a gambling disorder. It’s not as obvious you know, they may walk right past you and you never give it a second thought. But
Nestor J. Aparicio 14:37
the inner stressed out and you don’t know why. Right? Literally especially if they get to that point where they need help. They’re probably there. There’s probably been some changes if you know if you’re if you’re in a household with somebody like that, and you see some level of stress and you’re like what’s, you know what’s going on here? That’s another thing that that really happens today for
John Martin 14:56
sure. And while we focus on it and Marsha it doesn’t go away April 1. So the website is available 24/7 365 The resources are there each and every day of the year. So if don’t think if you’ve made it to April 1, you’re in the clear. You know, there are people who are available to take your call to respond to your text, to your email, and make sure that you get the help and the resources you need. And if that includes actually all the way through to excluding yourself from from entering casino or excluding yourself, voluntarily from from lottery winnings, again, those programs, those guardrails are available, and it’s something that we take very seriously. And we’re very proud to be a part of Marg and work with these other organizations, and continue to look for ways that yeah, we just announced our our sports wagering numbers this week. Okay. Yeah, that’s people are such into stats, right? I mean, every wants to know, how’d you do this month? How’s it last month as a parent last year? Okay. But behind the numbers, which are significant, you know, we for $4 million to the blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund. That’s nice. That’s good. It solves a need. But you look behind the numbers in this area, how many other people have been impacted by this maybe in a negative way, and what resources are available for them to work their way through this.
Nestor J. Aparicio 16:20
If you or any member of your family is struggling with gambling, addiction, confidential advice and counseling are available for Maryland residents at no cost? Regardless of insurance coverage, financial status or ability to pay? I’m glad I said that out loud. I’m reading right off the website here. I’m glad to say because I that that is. I mean, that’s the lead story. That’s the biggest point size for the font on the front of the website is you don’t need it. Sure we can get you help. Real help right now, one 800 Gamble, or you can go to MD gambling help.org. If you’re one of those folks, or if you have somebody in your life, I would ask you this. And I think I’ve been flippant in the past and I are people using this. I mean, are you seeing this a tick up in this in a general sense, because we went online year, year and a half ago, people
John Martin 17:07
are using it in in in record numbers. People are using it to the extent that the resource help needs help in a whole new
Nestor J. Aparicio 17:17
line of work to some degree right? Whatever this psychology psych, whatever this work is behavioral sciences for them. Like literally like more TSA at the airport, there’s more passengers literally right. But
John Martin 17:29
when you look further at it’s it can be a little misleading on the numbers. Sure the numbers of calls and numbers of people asking for help is increased. And people are quick to say we’ll see that. And we went online with this mobile gambling and we created all of these these gambling addicts say I told you it was no good. Well, the reality is those folks were there. They had been using illegal offshore sports sites. So the fact that Maryland went live with with sports wagering in 2021, did not create in 2021, problem gamblers. The fact that resources are available, and the fact that you and I can talk about this, and put those numbers out there raises the awareness. So for someone who may have been in the shadows before, didn’t know resources are available, or for family members who are now recognizing the impact that gambling addiction can have. There’s a heightened awareness which leads to greater numbers of people seeking help. And it’s not necessarily that we’ve got more problem gamblers. But I think we’re just making it more it’s coming out into the open, it’s more acceptable to have conversations, and to make people aware that they can get resources to help themselves and that in itself, will increase the number of calls to the hotline and the number of people who are seeking that. I
Nestor J. Aparicio 18:51
mean, I’ll say this, I mean, it’s been we’ve been bombarded with sports fans. I mean, I’m a lifer sports guy doing this crazy documentary this month, I realized how close to sports I’ve been all these years. But and seeing this sea change, I mean, just talking about the new baseball playing new baseball ownership gambling is a part of any sports model moving forward. That wasn’t a line of revenue 10 or 15 years ago when they started fantasy sports. And just seeing all the ads and Big Papi drinker from the house, but every one of them has disclaimers at the bottom every one of them. Everybody knows one 800 gambler, right like I if you’re a sports fan, and you’ve watched you’ve been bombarded with that as well. So I do think people know that it’s there and I think using march to make this awareness certainly on the front end of March Madness beginning of baseball season, am the gambling help.org If you’re that person or know that person or for seek help, one 800 gamblers also a way to do it. John Martin is here. He’s the Executive Director of all things Maryland lottery and gaming. Did we leave anything out? We got jackpots, we you know, we talked about Cleveland here homerun riches right around the corner I know you want to promote that’ll be To be down in Sarasota, I’m opening days less than two weeks away John, here we are. We
John Martin 20:05
will be at opening day Nestor as we are each and every year. So if you have tickets, going to the game, stop by, say hello to the Maryland lottery folks down there spin the price. We’ll have some fun. And let’s see what happens this year.
Nestor J. Aparicio 20:21
First place World Series or bust they have to win. It’s been a crazy sports week here, John, I’m gonna tell you that you know Derrick, Derrick Henry here, Patrick, Queen and Pittsburgh, you and I talking solar eclipses. I’m looking forward to getting together with you. Again on the Maryland crabcake tour. We’re gonna be bringing that back out onto the street along with these 10 times the cash stock price $10,000 We did have some $20 winners when I was out on the scope of Super Bowl tour, which feels like a year ago but it was like less than a month ago. I am recovering. Luke and I are headed to Sarasota for spring training and NFL owners meetings we’re gonna get back out with the Maryland crab cakes were presented by our friends at the Maryland lottery if you need gambling out one more time MD gambling help.org One 800 gambler we have some fun around here with the lottery we have fun with gaming and certainly that we’re having fun over costs when it Keno but make sure that you’re doing this response we always say that I am Nestor we are wn st am 1570, Towson Baltimore. We never stop talking Baltimore positive
