Our goal is simple, to continue to make sure 1-800-GAMBLER provides aid to anyone who needs it as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The problem gambling hotline number 1-800-GAMBLER is going national.
The hotline will become available in all US jurisdictions as a result of an agreement announced last week between the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) and one of its affiliates, the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ).
Under the agreement, NCPG will lease the iconic hotline number from CCGNJ for a period of six years. Until now, the hotline was only available in New Jersey.
“CCGNJ has always been at the forefront of providing support for people in communities affected by a gambling problem,” said its Executive Director, Felicia Grondin. “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.”
Deal Builds Upon Modernization Project
The agreement over 1-800-GAMBLER builds upon NCPG’s National Problem Gambling Helpline Modernization Project. The project is supported by a three-year, $6.2 million grant — the NCPG’s largest grant to date — from the National Football League Foundation (NFLF) in October 2021.
The grant supports improvements in call center technology, data collection, and data reporting, as are standardized training and certification for call centers across the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network.
When NFLF announced it had awarded the grant, NCPG said it hoped to someday “push a national [responsible gaming, aka RG] message over the television, radio, and streaming airwaves, which has traditionally been done on a limited basis in local markets.”
RG advocates say acquiring the leasing rights to 1-800-GAMBLER meets that goal because it’s easy to remember and can alleviate confusion over what number to call. Advocates also applaud the technology upgrades because they will help identify a caller’s physical location, thereby helping get appropriate local resources to a caller.
“Our goal is simple, to continue to make sure 1-800-GAMBLER provides aid to anyone who needs it as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said CCGNJ Board President Fred Hogan. “We look forward to sharing our strength and experience.”
NCPG Executive Director Keith Whyte said that since the National Problem Gambling Helpline’s inception, the line “has seen exponential growth in calls, texts and chat messages for help from individuals across the country as gambling has continued to expand.
“The Modernization 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.”
NCPG said its current National Problem Gambling Helpline Network number, 1-800-522-4700, would continue to operate alongside 1-800-GAMBLER and “will continue to operate uninterrupted as will the current routing of helpline calls.
“In the coming months, NCPG will work closely with CCGNJ, state affiliates, and helpline call centers to ensure a smooth transition and prevent any gaps in services as adjustments are made in the National Helpline Number and Network.” NCPG did not indicate whether it would eventually cease operating 1-800-522-4700, which launched in 1995.
According to the website 800ForAll.com, the hotline number 1-800-GAMBLER was launched by Lumen Technologies, then known as Century Telephone Enterprises, on September 27, 1992.
