The State University of Monte Carlos opened free addiction services this week. Unimontes, as locals call it, built the program around rising demand for help.
Romerson Brito works on the project. He’s watched patient numbers climb sharply over recent years. “Currently there is a significant increase in the number of patients who seek assistance due to a problem related to this inability to inhibit the desire to play,” Brito said.
The National Confederation of Commerce tracks the damage. CNC puts retail losses from betting at $20.2 million for 2024 alone. That’s money pulled straight from the sector’s bottom line.
Why Problem Gambling Demands Urgent Action
The numbers tell part of the story. But Brito sees deeper issues in his patients.
“So the number of patients who evolve to this addiction to games has grown a lot and often this dependence is associated with several functions that draw attention, such as depressive symptoms, anxiety and thoughts of death,” he explained. Those mental health connections make treatment more complex.
Felipe Tavares, CNC’s chief economist, spotted another pattern. Workers aren’t just losing money at home. They’re gambling during work hours, which directly hurts productivity across companies.
The workplace impact adds a business dimension to what many see as a personal problem.
What New Support Centers Offer
Unimontes isn’t alone in this fight. The Addiction Professionals of North Carolina launched two centers on September 18. North Carolina’s Division of Mental Health funded both facilities.
The Center of Excellence for Addiction Policy and Practice tackles education and training. CEGAPP covers gambling prevention, treatment and recovery across all age groups. It also develops policy guidance on problem gambling and addiction.
The Professional Development Center takes a different angle. PDC strengthens core skills for addiction workers through training and mentorship programs. Leadership development rounds out its approach to building workforce capacity.
How These Programs Change Industry Response
Brazil’s retail sector needed this intervention. Twenty million dollars in losses can’t continue without organised pushback from multiple fronts.
The free services remove cost barriers that kept people from seeking help. That matters when addiction often drains finances before families recognise the problem.
Having multiple centres creates a network effect. North Carolina’s approach complements what Brazil started with Unimontes. Different regions can share methods and results.
The workplace productivity angle opens new funding possibilities. Companies might back prevention programs once they see gambling’s real cost to operations. That could expand resources beyond government budgets alone.
Depression and anxiety connections require specialised treatment approaches. Generic addiction services won’t address gambling’s unique psychological profile. These programs acknowledge that reality in their design.
