The Southern Virginia Problem Gambling Collaborative recently launched, but the soon-to-open Caesars Virginia resort wasn’t the catalyst for the effort.

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It started from the state asking community service boards to address the issues of gambling. Locally, the organizations have taken a regional approach.

That’s why the Danville-Pittsylvania Community Services Board, Southside Behavioral Health and Piedmont Community Services have united to serve localities spanning Southern Virginia.

“I think initially that goal is to increase that awareness, because I think a lot of people don’t realize how much gambling is available,” Dominick Grembi, prevention program manager at Danville-Pittsylvania Community Services, told the Register & Bee.