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Please note: The following information is from a news release by Monocacy Counseling Associates of Bethlehem.

As part of a grant from Northampton County Drug and Alcohol and the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, Monocacy Counseling Associates will offer forums on various dates in April, May and June in the Lehigh Valley to discuss how the community can understand and address problem gambling.

Representatives from the PA Council on Compulsive Gambling, Sands Casino and the Northampton County Drug and Alcohol Department will be part of a panel discussion about the impact of problem gambling on local communities and how different groups can work and are working together to address the issue.

Pennsylvania’s Gambling Helpline received nearly 1,700 calls in 2015 from those needing help with a gambling problem, according to the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs’ annual report on compulsive and problem gambling. “Without intervention, problem gambling can progress to financial hardships, relationship problems, criminal activity and job loss,” said DDAP Secretary Gary Tennis.

“Managing the Madness of Gambling—It isn’t Just Madness in March” forums will take place on Wednesday, April 27 at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, on Wednesday, May 18 at the Northampton County Human Services Building in Bethlehem, and on Monday, June 13 at A Clean Slate in Bangor.

All forums will take place at 7 p.m. and are open to the community at no cost. A flyer is attached (see below) with more specific information.

Monocacy Counseling Associates of Bethlehem is co-owned by Bruce Bowen and Gregory Krausz, licensed therapists who are also certified gambling addiction trainers for the state of Pennsylvania. Contact Bruce or Greg at 610-317-0503 or info@monocacyounseling.com for more information about these forums or any other information needed.