National Council on Problem Gambling Leads Annual March Awareness Campaign
The National Council on Problem Gambling led its annual Problem Gambling Awareness Month campaign throughout March 2024, coordinating operator and regulator participation to improve public awareness of gambling harm resources and reduce stigma around help-seeking.
Key Takeaways
- Problem Gambling Awareness Month is held annually in March, coordinated by the NCPG
- The 2024 campaign focused on reducing stigma and making help-seeking more accessible
- The National Problem Gambling Helpline (1-800-522-4700) operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- State gaming commissions and licensed operators participate with employee training and public education
- Problem gambling affects an estimated 1–3% of the adult population to varying degrees of severity
Why It Matters — Players
Why It Matters — Operators
The National Council on Problem Gambling led its annual Problem Gambling Awareness Month campaign throughout March 2024, coordinating participation from state gaming commissions, tribal gaming operations, licensed commercial gaming operators, lottery corporations, and treatment providers to raise public awareness of gambling harm and promote help-seeking.
Problem Gambling Awareness Month, which has been observed each March for over two decades, serves as an annual moment for the gambling industry and public health community to jointly reinforce messaging about responsible gambling, available treatment resources, and the National Problem Gambling Helpline. The helpline — 1-800-522-4700 — operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, providing confidential support and referrals to local treatment services for individuals experiencing gambling harm and their families.
The NCPG's 2024 awareness campaign emphasised reducing stigma around help-seeking and promoting the message that effective treatment for problem gambling is available and that recovery is achievable. The campaign used the theme "Change the Game," encouraging people to recognise when gambling is no longer recreational and to access support early.
Licensed gaming operators across the US participated in March awareness activities including employee training, placement of responsible gambling materials in venues and on platforms, social media campaigns promoting the helpline number, and financial contributions to the NCPG's education and treatment fund. State gaming commissions in several jurisdictions issued press releases directing players to helpline and treatment resources.
The NCPG estimates that problem gambling affects approximately 1–3% of the adult population in the United States to varying degrees of severity, with a smaller proportion — generally estimated at under 1% — meeting the clinical definition of severe problem gambling or gambling disorder.
- Source:
- National Council on Problem Gambling
- Published:
- March 1, 2024
- Original Article:
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