Scorecard

THE GET-OUT BET

For many of the nation's estimated three million pathological gamblers. Super Sunday represents a horrific, pressure-filled day of reckoning—the day they lay it all on the line with one big bet. "It's a fascinating thing." says Dr. Robert Custer, an expert in the treatment of compulsive gamblers. "They're a little bit down after the holidays, they've lost money on the playoffs and the bowls and they want to get even again. It's their last-ditch effort.

"And it's an ego thing. The pathological gambler wants to pick the Super Bowl winner and wants to brag about it. It's surprising how many gamblers focus on that game. They even sell their material possessions for that one bet."

Arnie Wexler, the executive director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, is a recovering pathological gambler and is familiar with the lure of the "get-out" bet. "Super Bowl Sunday is to the compulsive gambler what New Year's Eve is to the alcoholic," says Wexler. He tells of a phone call he received two years ago from a man who had lost $20,000 on the game and was contemplating suicide. "That's fairly common," says Custer, who directs treatment programs in Ellicott City, Md., and Las Vegas. "Twenty percent of our patients are admitted after a suicide attempt. And we see a large increase in admissions right after the Super Bowl. They lose that one and finally say, 'I've got to get help.' "

Custer points out that most pathological gamblers aren't betting a fiver with friends: "Almost all of this is illegal betting with some organized system, like a bookie." Custer remembers attending a Super Bowl party and watching a man who had bet $5.000 agonize throughout the game. "I've never seen anything quite as nerve-racking."

SCHLICHTER STUMBLES

Last week Dr. Custer's most famous patient was arrested after having allegedly fallen off the wagon. Former NFL quarterback Art Schlichter, 26, whose gambling got him suspended for the 1983 season, was arrested in Indianapolis on charges of unlawfully wagering a total of $232,225 during a 10-week period late last year. According to the police, Schlichter and six others were betting with bookies on basketball, football and baseball games. Indianapolis police chief Paul Annee said the seven arrests were the result of an ongoing investigation into a multimillion-dollar sports betting ring; a source close to the investigation said further indictments, including those of prominent sports figures, were possible.

Schlichter, who was released without bail, declined to comment. Custer, who helped Schlichter after the quarterback had racked up $389,000 in gambling losses during his 1982 rookie season with the Baltimore Colts, said of Schlichter's latest troubles, "I sure was surprised, but with all the patients I treat I have an uneasiness. It's a serious disorder, and they're prone to relapse." Custer said backsliding is often due to "stress or grief or depression." While not speculating that Schlichter faltered because he had lost his last NFL job—the Buffalo Bills released him on Aug. 18 when they signed Jim Kelly—Custer said, "I always feel better when a gambler is working.... To have all the games going on, and to not be part of them, even if he was just on the sidelines, was very difficult for Art." Custer, who said he speaks to Schlichter regularly, added. "The Jim Kelly thing sort of whacked him out."

Schlichter faces up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine on the latest misdemeanor charge. Even before his arrest, his chances of being picked up as a free agent by another NFL team appeared dim. Now those prospects are almost certainly dead. Another dream of his has probably been dashed, too. The day before his arrest he had interviewed for the position of head football coach at Wilmington ( Ohio) High.

BAG AND BAGGAGE