Louisiana senator: Gambling addiction 'shameful, embarrassing'

BATON ROUGE — Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, who revealed a gambling addiction in March, said the disease is "shameful and embarrassing" during debate on a sports betting bill here Monday.

The New Orleans senator, who is also chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party, advocated for a portion of revenue generated from sports betting, if legalized, be directed to the state's compulsive gambling fund.

She said most people suffering with a gambling addiction are secretive.

"No one in the Capitol would have ever know Karen had a problem unless they saw me in a casino because it's shameful; it's embarrassing," Peterson said during debate of Senate Bill 153 during a Senate Judiciary B Committee hearing.

Read more: https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2019/04/23/la-senator-gambling-addition-shameful-embarrassing/3550189002/