NCPG Problem Gambling Awareness Month: Support Is Growing

Problem Gambling Awareness Month

For nearly two decades, the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has designated March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM). The campaign coincides with March Madness, which serves as “the backdrop that NCPG and its partners across the country leverage to help raise awareness and create action for those suffering from gambling problems.”

“March Madness is a time of year when we see an increase in gambling and more demand for our services,” said Keith Whyte, Executive Director of NCPG. “Too many people still don’t recognize they are exhibiting signs of this addictive behavior and are unaware of the help that is available to them.”

The increased demand for NCPG services has increased as legal sports betting has swept across the nation.

“When the US Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that states could allow sports betting, the proverbial floodgates opened. As we go to press, sports betting is now legal and operational in 20 states plus the District of Columbia, with many more considering it – an unprecedented expansion of gambling in the US. Unfortunately, services to mitigate the inevitable increase in harms associated with gambling have not kept pace.”

Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM) is designed to achieve two goals:

  • To increase public awareness of problem gambling; and
  • To encourage healthcare providers to screen clients for gambling problems.

Has the Cavalry Arrived?

The NCPG cannot tackle problem gambling alone, and while states haven’t been able to keep pace with the increased harm from expanded gambling, several groups and the industry have been chipping in.

One example is the NCPG’s collaboration with Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) on Gambling Disorder Screening Day, held on March 9, 2021.

As the NCPG press release notes:

The PGAM grassroots campaign brings together a wide range of stakeholders, among them public health organizations, advocacy groups including NCPG state affiliates, and even gambling operators. NCPG provides a special web page to give information on local state activities and events – participants may share them via a link on our main webpage: https://www.ncpgambling.org/pgam/   

Independent Voices Join the Fray

Betting USA is doing our small part with the 1% initiative we launched with the NCPG in 2019.

BettingUSA.com, a licensed US online gambling affiliate, has pledged to donate one percent of its earnings to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) in order to help minimize the harms that will likely occur through the expansion of gambling and sports betting in the US. Together the two organizations call on other affiliates in the legal US gambling space to match BettingUSA’s leadership by joining the 1% Initiative.

Operators are also starting to step up and embrace responsible gaming and problem gambling initiatives. Efforts by Kindred, BetMGM, and others are a welcome sight. As is the launch of Conscious Gaming, and the great work that group is doing.

Another great development is the group of problem gambling advocates that has emerged from the social media and podcasting spheres.

Examples include people like Jamie Salsburg of the After Gambling Podcast and Dyve Agency, and All-In: The Addicted Gamblers Podcast host, Brian Hatch. The latter released a special two-hour podcast for PGAM that you can listen to here.

These are two drivers of the conversations on social media, but far from the only examples.

EPIC Risk Management Provides Support

And then, there are organizations like EPIC Risk Management that partnered with the NCPG last year.

In its PGAM press release, EPIC stated:

EPIC Risk Management believe a blended and collaborative approach to tacking the issue of problem gambling is key to tackling the issue in the US head on. Throughout the month of March, we will be highlighting the EPIC Risk Management Four-Pillar approach to reducing gambling related harm as we also look to promote several key strategic announcements to support this crucial work.

EPIC’s Four Pillars are:

  • Lived Experience – This always has and will always be the underpinning foundation of all the work that we do. The business itself was, after all, founded in lived experience, 50% of our staff have lived it, and this is a key element to understanding how to minimize gambling-related harm.
  • Research and Evidence – Driven by innovative design from leading experts, and recently accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management, our training, education, and advisory is built on evidence-based approaches and guided by the latest independent research.
  • Prevention – Our mission is to take the problem out of gambling, and our role is to prevent as many people as possible from getting to the point at which they “fall off the edge of the cliff”. We are trying to save lives! Through harm minimization and prevention programs, education and training, and advocacy, we aim to ensure that as many people as possible have the appropriate information to make better-informed decisions.
  • Policy – We recognize that to have the greatest social impact in the US we must have a voice when it comes to legislation, regulation, and policy. We work collaboratively to ensure comprehensive legislation, regulation, and policy that will be effective in preventing and minimizing gambling-related harm while ensuring a safe and sustainable industry.

Gambling Diversion Court Pushes

The final development I’d like to mention is the push for more Gambling Treatment Diversion Courts, spearheaded by Judge Cheryl Moss. Judge Moss was a driving force behind the creation of Nevada’s GTDC and presided over the Nevada GTDC until her recent retirement.

Efforts to bring a Nevada-like GTDC to New Jersey are already afoot, and a new effort is being launched in Massachusetts.

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