AUBURN -- From community Bingo Night to Texas Hold 'Em poker tournaments, two-dollar scratch-off tickets to astronomical Lotto jackpots, gambling comes in many seemingly harmless guises.

Experts estimate that more than $90 billion was spent on gambling in 2006 in the U.S. alone -- a number that has doubled in only the past five years.

To help educate the community on gambling addiction, which experts say is one of the fastest-growing social concerns in the country, a group of local ministers presented "When the Chips are Down: Recognizing and Addressing Gambling Addiction" at the Auburn Public Theater on Wednesday night.

The program, led by education specialist Stephen Capozzi of the Finger Lakes Council on Alcoholism and Other Addictions, included the discussion of potential gambling problems, methods for preventing the addiction, and an accompanying Power Point presentation.

Read the full report in Thursday's edition of The Citizen.