Veteran Gambling Addiction Treatment Entrepreneur in Big NJ NIMBY Battle

Addiction Treatment Industry Newswire

09/06/2012 – ATIN- Veteran gambling addiction treatment entrepreneur Michael Osborne is in a major New Jersey NIMBY fight as he seeks to convert a historic hostel in the far northern part of the state about an hour west of New York City. The Borough of Chatham had initially, about two years ago, easily approved the conversion as matter of zoning “continued use,” based on the logic that the inn and treatment both involved overnight stays. But when residents learned of the conversion into a gambling center, they objected and successfully appealed the zoning approval, getting a variance use ruling, meaning zoning officials now view the inn and treatment center as dissimilar uses. TriCare Treatment Services, Osborne’s company and ZERO relation to the same-named huge military health plan, has sued and this week a court will rule on whether he was unfairly denied a continued use ruling, as well as possibly unfairly treated based on the city hiring an investigator to look into his background, among other things. While Treatment Magazine was not able to reach Osborne for comment on the New Jersey fight, years ago, as part of a Special Report on gambling care, we featured Osborne as one of the

Osborne founded Harbour Pointe in Baltimore, which no longer appears to be in operation

very few private entrepreneurs looking to get new residential gambling treatment capacity off the ground. Back in 2007, Osborne had founded tiny Habour Pointe in Baltimore, which no longer appears to be in operation. Private funding sources for gambling care largely consist of funds supplied by the gambling industry itself, partly as required often by state law and partly also donated willingly. With Atlantic City, NJ, being the second largest gambling hub in America, New Jersey is relatively awash in gambling funding and Osborne may be seeking to tap into that stream, leveraging his gambling treatment entrepreneurial expertise. Also, he may be betting on the private insurance spigots opening after publication and dissemination next year of the new DSM addiction criteria, which for the first time explicitly recognizes gambling addiction as a medical and psychiatric condition.

pictured above…Michael Osborne…his Harbour Pointe gambling center play in Baltimore

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