New data out Wednesday shows 14,380 people called the Wisconsin gambling helpline just last year.

Experts say the first three months of the year can often be the most problematic when it comes to gambling addictions. Counselors say the Super Bowl followed by March Madness can land a lot of people in over their heads this time of year.

“Gambling was like a drug to me,” says Al Heath.

Heath quit using drugs and alcohol in 1979. Sometime in the decade that followed he started spending a lot of time at the casinos, eventually forging checks to fund his addiction to the slots.

“I ended up in prison and it took me about a year before I started really taking responsibility for that and taking a look at what was going on,” Heath says.

“Most of them don't have a clue because it's called the 'hidden addiction.' You can't smell the black jack table or the slot machine on them,” says Ed Ramsey, a gambling counselor at First Things First in Eau Claire. “By the time (their family’s) figure out there's a problem, they're showing up to repossess the house or all their retirements gone or something like that.”

The Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling (WCPG) says of the 14,380 people who called the helpline last year, the average individual's debt was almost $44,000.

“Compulsive gamblers get pretty skilled at playing the game, actors in a stage show so to speak,” Heath explains.

Heath says if gambling starts affecting any part of your life including your family, relationships, job, and finances, you have a problem. But, he says there is help: You can eventually beat the game when you quit.

“No matter how far down you have gone, there is probably someone here who has gone down that same path and can help you recover,” Heath says.

The WCPG estimates 338,000 people are compulsive or problem gamblers in Wisconsin.

The WCPG Helpline is 1-800-GAMBLE-5. It's confidential.