Advocates for gambling addicts in Connecticut say they have seen a spike in the number of calls since the new year. 

The Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling says it has received double the amount of calls from the previous year in the six months since gambling was legalized in the state. 

"It just hijacks the brain," said peer counselor Stephen Matos. "I can't say it any better than that
easy to find. It's hard to escape. I look at is as the crack cocaine of gambling." 

Diane Goode, executive director of the council, says it’s ‘only going to get worse.”

“When we talked about problem gambling before, you would think of the little old lady at the slot machine, now it's 20 something male” she added. "A lot of calls from parents saying their 20 something make kids are in a lot of trouble because of sports betting."

The council also revealed that it is spending time with people who think the hotline’s phone number is the customer service department for the app.

The CCPG would also like to see the apps make it more clear what kind of help their number is for.