"As you can imagine, many people facing this isue don't have the funds to go out and pay for treatment," Fowler said. "We have a helpline, but it doesn't make any sense."

The council contracts with the state and is funded by $1.3 million from the Florida Lottery; a $250,000 licensing fee from the three Broward pari-mutuels; and a $100,000 contribution from the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The council took 4,208 calls on its 1-888-ADMIT-IT line last year, an increase after slots came to Broward County racinos.

The Tribe's John Fontana, president of the Hard Rock Tampa, also sits on Fowler's board. He pushed for the funding and made the presentation at the Florida Gaming Summit Tuesday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

"I've worked 10 years nonstop toward this goal," she said. "I not only badger the state, I badger the Tribe."

The council is now planning how to set up the program. In South Florida, for example, there are "certified and well-trained clinicians," she said.

"But in other parts of the state, there isn't even a Gamblers' Anonymous meeting to send them to," she said.

The best the council has been able to do is direct gamblers to Gamblers' Anonymous -- which she supports -- and develop aninteractive workbook, she said.

"But one size doesn't fit all, and there are people who need clinical help," she said.

Photo caption (Hard Rock photo): L-R: John Fontana, president, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa; Pat Fowler, executive director, Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling; Jim Allen, CEO, Seminole Gaming; and Paul Ashe, president, Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling.