The following is a transcript of a report by Call 4 Action reporter Aaron Saykin that first aired June 11, 2007, on WTAE Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m.

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More than 500 impatient gamblers arrived early Monday morning for the opening of the Meadows Casino, which is the first slots casino to open in the area.

And while they're feeding the machines, could some also be feeding a gambling addiction?

What are the warning signs? Where can they get help?

The bright lights and big payoffs are enough to keep most gamblers coming back, but for some of them, that urge might seem uncontrollable, even destructive.

With five slots casinos now open across Pennsylvania, the state has begun training private drug and alcohol treatment counselors like Guinn Hebrank to deal with a possible increase in gambling problems.

Gambling addicts might show signs of preoccupation with gambling. They might start chasing or returning to the casino trying to win back losses. Also common is lying to friends and family about their involvement and finally, a loss of control with no way to stop.

Casinos like the Meadows said they've trained employees to watch out for addictive behavior and by law, they must post phone numbers for help near entrances and in all commercials.

The state also hopes some with gambling problems might stop themselves before they start again by joining the "self-exclusion" program.

The program bans you, the participant, from all casinos in the state, punishable by trespassing charges.

So far, only 58 people have signed up for the six-month-old program. About 580 signed up for a similar system in New Jersey, which is six years old.

Pennsylvania's Gaming Control predicts that as more people learn about the program, more will use it.

But that's assuming those who have a problem know it.

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