Eighty-eight percent of Iowans gamble and three percent develop a problem, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month and on Friday Governor Terry Branstad will sign a proclamation designating the month as such. In the past year, 294,000 adult Iowans experienced a problem related to their gambling, according to IDPH. During this month, Iowans are encouraged to have a conversation about gambling with those they care about.

Symptoms of problem gambling include: thinking a lot about gambling or ways to get money to gamble; needing to gamble with larger amounts of money or with larger bets to get a feeling of excitement; repeatedly trying to cut down or stop without success; feeling restless or irritable when try to stop; gambling to run away from problems or to get relief from feeling depressed or anxious; or lying to family members or friends to hide gambling habits from them.

There are services available to Iowans for problem gambling, many can be found by calling 1-800-BETS-OFF or visiting 1800betsoff.org.