The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) and Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ) have teamed up to create a nationwide gambling helpline in the US, the first of its kind.
The idea is to spread the use of the current 1800-GAMBLER phone number into a federally recognized service across the country. The six-year license agreement will allow the NCPG to use the number in states outside New Jersey and comes as more and more states are legalizing sports betting.
What do the officials say?
NCPG board president Maureen Greeley said in a statement: “This agreement is a vital step forward as we work to increase awareness and access to high-quality services for individuals, families, and communities impacted by problem gambling,”
“With collaboration as one of our core values, we are grateful for this partnership with our NCPG Affiliate, CCGNJ, that will significantly advance our shared priorities of improving health and wellness by offering the most effective programs and services possible.”
“Since its inception in 1995, the National Problem Gambling Helpline has seen exponential growth in calls, texts, and chat messages for help from individuals across the country as gambling has continued to expand,” NCPG executive director Keith Whyte said.
“The Modernisation Project will allow us to make significant improvements to the operations, technology, and infrastructure of the network to keep up with the ever-growing need for problem gambling resources.”
A spokesperson for the CCGNJ, executive director Felica Grondin said: “CCGNJ has always been at the forefront of providing support for people in communities affected by a gambling problem. 1-800-GAMBLER serves as an essential tool for accessing this support.
“We look forward to working with NCPG to ensure that people from across the country can easily access problem gambling support and resources using this simple, memorable number.”
