WHEREAS, the National Council on Problem Gambling and the Maine Council on Problem Gambling have designated March 2024 as Problem Gambling Awareness Month; and

WHEREAS, problem gambling is a public health issue affecting Mainers of all ages, races and ethnic backgrounds and the 2021 Survey of Problem Gambling Services in the United States estimated that 24,647 people in Maine have a gambling problem; and

WHEREAS, cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children and is detected in more than 15,000 of our country's sons and daughters every year; and

WHEREAS, the State of Maine has one of the highest rates of childhood cancer in the nation, with 60 Maine children diagnosed with cancer annually; and

WHEREAS, thanks to ongoing advances in research and treatment, the five-year survival rate for all childhood cancers has climbed from less than 50 percent to 80 percent over the last several decades; and