THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 22, 1996 TAG: 9606220255
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAVE ADDIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 86 lines
Harvey Markman is looking for one more lucky number on a Virginia lottery ticket: a 1-800 hot line code for out-of-control gamblers.
Markman, a recovering bet-a-holic and longtime anonymous activist for those who share his affliction, is dropping his mask and going public in a drive to get the state - especially the Virginia Lottery - to deal with the problem.
State Sen. Mark L. Earley and Del. Robert M. Tata have agreed to help Markman by introducing bills in the General Assembly to provide for printing a toll-free Gamblers Anonymous telephone number on the back of Virginia Lottery tickets. Funding for the project has yet to be worked out, both lawmakers said.
``Gambling is the fastest-growing industry in America,'' Markman said in an interview this week. ``There are casinos in more than 30 states, off-track betting in a lot of states, slot machines at race tracks. . . .
``For most people it's just an enjoyable form of recreation, but for some, they get in trouble, and I think the state should offer a treatment program, as other states do.
``Keep in mind, now, I'm speaking for myself here, not for Gamblers Anonymous,'' Markman said, ``But in other states, like Texas, they print a help number on their tickets. Texas gives $2 million a year for treatment and education. Iowa and Minnesota give money; so do New Jersey, Maryland and a lot of others.''
Past efforts in the General Assembly to have the state fund a program for problem gamblers have failed, Markman said. ``Six years ago, when (ex-Del.) Howard Copeland entered the bill, everybody said it was a good idea but they had no money.''
Tata and Earley, both Republicans, each said they would take the issue to fellow lawmakers again in the next General Assembly session in January.
``I don't know how the lottery department will take it,'' said Tata, of Virginia Beach, ``but it's worth a try. They may not be happy with the idea, but I think we're extracting so many dollars out of the citizens of Virginia that we ought to try to help the handful of gamblers who are compulsive.''
Spokeswoman Paula Otto said the Virginia Lottery has no objection to publishing a Gamblers Anonymous number on its tickets, so long as the organization or state lawmakers work out the funding to run the hot line.
Lottery officials are studying how other states deal with the issue, she said.
For years, Markman has been known to newspaper and television reporters in the region as a gravelly voice on the other end of a telephone - just ``Harvey'' - calling with serious concern about gambling.
He was instrumental this spring in getting the state to change its rules for off-track betting when he and a sports columnist found grade-school kids hanging out with their parents at the new Colonial Downs betting parlor in Chesapeake.
``We went in there,'' Markman said, ``and we saw 8- and 9-year-olds in there, where there was gambling and where liquor was being served.''
Markman knows the dangers. He spent decades dropping his money on ``anything that was bettable - horses, sports, you name it.''
Originally from Brooklyn, Markman has lived, worked and been involved with Gamblers Anonymous in Virginia Beach since moving here eight years ago. He and 12 to 15 other recovering gamblers meet every Sunday night in a donated room at Virginia Beach General Hospital. That group and his longtime companion - ``one good woman, my tower of strength, Gloria Amador'' - rescued him, Markman said.
He is going public, to the point of doing local television talk shows, because of the gravity of the problem.
``It's just the mere fact that if we can help somebody,'' he said, ``just one person, then I'm willing to do that. We've got to realize that while most people can deal with it, gambling, for some, is an insidious disease. It's up to the state to recognize that and to help.''
Mark Earley, for his part, is glad to have Harvey Markman pushing the issue.
``Harvey's an up-front guy,'' said Earley, of Chesapeake.
``He's been through that battle zone and he has a lot to offer. He's been a good resource, and I think he has the good fortunes of Virginia at heart now that it's his home state.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
D. KEVIN ELLIOTT/The Virginian-Pilot
Activist Harvey Markman, long anonymous, wants more help from the
state in helping gamblers.
Graphic
FOR HELP
Information on Gamblers Anonymous is available through Harvey
Markman at 425-6412.
KEYWORDS: COMPULSIVE GAMBLING LOTTERIES VIRGINIA by CNB