The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has announced the recipients of its Fall 2023 Agility Grants. As a result, a total of $176,000 will be distributed among five non-profit organizations that deal with problem gambling.

Under the NCPG Agility Grants program, the council will provide over a million dollars to problem gambling charities between 2022 and 2024, helping them prevent gambling harm in the country.

According to the announcement, the recipients include the Alabama Council on Compulsive Gambling Prevention (ACCG), the Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado, the AdCare Educational Institute of Maine, The LCADA Way and the Maryland Council on Problem Gambling. For reference, the first two parties will develop prevention innovation programs, while the remaining three will work on prevention amplification programs.

Two Organization Will Develop Prevention Innovation Initiatives

ACCG’s program “It’s More Than Just a Game” seeks to leverage education to teach middle school students in Alabama about the dangers of gambling. The program will see the students presented with a series of gambling and video gaming scenarios that will test their knowledge. The correct answers will be discussed with the whole class. Students will also be provided with educational pamphlets on the matter.

The Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado, meanwhile, is working with the Denver Justice High School and the Denver Art Society to deliver the so-called Stacked Deck problem gambling prevention curriculum to high schoolers. This project will leverage art-based activities to teach students about responsible gambling.

Three Parties Will Work on Prevention Amplification Programs

AdCare Educational Institute of Maine, on the other hand, will join forces with The New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center to develop a graphic novel about youth gambling prevention. The novel, which will be distributed across New England and available in three languages, is a part of the Youth Gambling Prevention Graphic Medicine project.

Additionally, the LCADA Way will launch the Lorain County Problem Gambling Prevention Initiative in hopes of raising awareness about the risks of gambling harm and teaching the players to make responsible decisions. Campaign material creation will be led by teenagers in hopes of appealing to younger demographics.

Finally, the Maryland Council on Problem Gambling will launch Culturally Infused Problem Gambling Prevention for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumers. This brand new program will see the council use the Agility Grant funding to design “culturally specific prevention public awareness materials” that appeal to people with hearing impairments.

About the Agility Grants

The Agility Grants are backed by the NFL through the NFL Foundation, in line with the league’s commitment to promote responsible gambling.

FanDuel, one of the biggest gambling operators in the country, is also a sponsor of the program.

Keith Whyte, executive director at the NCPG, commented on the matter, highlighting his team’s desire to “foster dynamic and responsive problem gambling prevention programs” across the country.  

Each recipient receiving support this round displayed exemplary commitment to cultural competence, tailoring their approaches with sensitivity to the diverse needs of the populations they serve.

Keith Whyte, executive director, NCPG

The grants have an emphasis on prevention innovation, collaboration, amplification and community impact and represent the council’s desire to make a change. They are awarded through funding rounds two times a year.

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The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has launched a new toolkit that will make the promotion of the National Problem Gambling Helpline easier. In addition, the body released an analytics dashboard that provides information on incoming traffic to the helpline.

The National Problem Gambling Helpline, 1-800-GAMBLER, is a universal resource for Americans seeking help with their gambling behavior. The 1-800-GAMBLER number used today was first the number of New Jersey’s Council on Compulsive Gambling, which was later adopted by the NCPG because of how easy it is to remember.

The new 1-800-GAMBLER Promotional Toolkit, according to the NCPG, is designed to help align messaging about the helpline across gambling companies, media, state agencies, healthcare services and other organizations that promote it to the public.

According to the NPGH, aligned and consistent messaging that promotes a universal point of contact is very important as it will make things clearer to the public. The toolkit will raise awareness of the helpline, teaching people that they can always use it to seek help. It encompasses a rich variety of resources such as brand guidelines, logos and social media content.

Companies that wish to promote 1-800-GAMBLER can find the toolkit for free on the NCPG website.

The Dashboard Will Help the NCPG Maintain Transparency

The council also unveiled the launch of a National Problem Gambling Helpline Analytics Dashboard. Just like the Promotional Toolkit, the dashboard is available for free.

The dashboard’s purpose is to “provide transparency and insight into the trends and patterns” of 1-800-GAMBLER traffic. It includes interactive charts and graphs, making it easy to find data for specific dates, states or contact methods.

The dashboard can be accessed on NCPG’s website for free.

The NCPG Is Excited about the Launch

Keith Whyte, NCPG’s executive director, said that his team is glad to be launching these resources. He noted that NCPG research shows only 45% of Americans know where to look for help with problem gambling.

We hope this toolkit will make it easier for organizations to raise awareness of the Helpline and connect people with the resources they need.

Keith Whyte, exec director, NCPG

Both of the newly-released solutions are part of the ongoing Helpline Modernization Project. Thanks to a grant from the NFL Foundation, the NCPG will be able to modernize the helpline and promote it to players across the US.

The modernization efforts will see the NCPG make improvements to the network services, training, operations and public awareness. The council hopes that more people will learn of the helpline and will use it when dealing with gambling problems.

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A new program launched by the NCPG is now focusing entirely on Hispanic youths in the hopes of educating them about the pitfalls of gambling and the dangers of excessive gambling in Cleveland, Ohio.

NCPG Keen on Helping Vulnerable Groups to Beat Problem Gambling

The intuitive has been launched with the Hispanic Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program which was awarded $40,000 to help better educate the target group about the dangers of problem gambling.

The program will seek to educate 100 Hispanic students in middle and high school as part of comprehensive prevention efforts about gambling disorders. The program explained stated its goal thus:

The program aims to raise awareness to the dangers of at risk and problem-gambling behaviors with Middle and High School youth, these youth can then relate this to their peers and their families via 1-1 conversations, social media, print, posters, and other created media.

Hispanic Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program

To have maximum impact, the program will operate as a bilingual initiative that will allow it to better connect with the target groups. The program is an important stepping stone in addressing problem gambling and gambling-related harm in Ohio. The state sees that 15% of Hispanic males aged 18-24 are at risk of developing a gambling disorder.

Addressing problem gambling with minorities has been a priority for many organizations engaged with furthering the understanding and advocating for safe and responsible gambling practices.

In places such as the United Kingdom, there has been research indicating that minorities tend to suffer from gambling disproportionately even though they make up a much smaller part of the people who participate in gambling as a whole.

The NCPG has been very active across different communities and is determined to bring the best possible campaigns and awareness initiatives to geographies and communities that may be impacted by various gambling-related problems.

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The National Council on Problem Gambling has announced the recipients of its Spring Agility Grants. As noted by the company, it will provide $193,000 in funding to five gambling harm relief organizations.

Agility Grants is a strategic initiative that seeks to back nonprofits, providing them with much-needed funding to prevent problem gambling. The grants help organizations provide services in areas where there are none and reach more people struggling with harm.

The initiative will see the NCPG provide charities with more than $1 million over 3 years, bolstering sager gambling efforts across the United States. The program is backed by major names such as the NFL Foundation and FanDuel which seek to spread awareness of the dangers of irresponsible betting.

This year, the program received a record-breaking number of applications, leading to what the NCPG called a “highly competitive selection progress.” Finally, the council decided to award grants to the following organizations:

• Hispanic Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program
• The National Alliance on Mental Illness – Maryland Chapter
• The Nevada Council on Problem Gambling
• Nicasa Behavioral Health Services
• Student Assistance Services of Tarrytown, NY

Each of these will use the funding to support a new or existing initiative, adding to the effort in the war on gambling harm.

It Is Critical to Tackle Harm Early On

Keith Whyte, NCPG’s executive director, commented on the importance of prevention, saying that it is not only cheaper but also more effective and sensible. He noted that this spring’s grants will fund programs that provide innovative models designed to reach priority groups. He said that his team is proud to be able to support these initiatives and hopes that they will encourage and inspire future efforts.

Clare Graff, NFL’s VP of social responsibility, also commented on the grounds, lauding the NCPG’s hard and innovative work. She said that the NFL is glad to sponsor these grants and help the council curb the problem gambling rates in the country.

The funding for these Agility Grants through the NFL Foundation will provide critical resources to nonprofit organizations across the country who are on the front lines of problem gambling prevention.

Clare Graff, VP of social responsibility, NFL

Grants are awarded twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. The Fall 2023 funding round will accept applicants from July 11 to August 22.

A few weeks ago, the NCPG welcomed several new members, strengthening its advisory board.

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The company has expanded its Advisory Board with new officers who will be helping the organization better guide policies on responsible gambling in North America. Among the new additions is Christopher Hebert, director of the Gaming Division in the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office.

New Appointees Strengthen the NCPG

Hebert will step in the position of chair of the advisory board, and he is replacing the outgoing incumbent, Oregon Lottery director of corporate social responsibility, Stacy Shaw. Fittingly, Martin Lycka is the new vice chair. Lycka is Entain Group’s SVP of American regulatory affairs & responsible gambling, and one of the biggest proponents of championing safe gambling practices in the North American market.

Commenting on these appointments, Keith Whyte, NCPG’s executive director, said that he was pleased to expand the NCPG’s board expertise with two important additions. “We are incredibly pleased,” Whyte noted, and said:

They have both been highly engaged leaders in our field for years, and we are excited to utilize their talents and expertise in a new way. I look forward to working closely with the full advisory board to advance the organization’s mission and our ambitious goals for the future.

Keith Whyte, NCPG’s executive director

Hebert was similarly excited to be joining the team. He said that the NCPG had been unrivaled in its efforts to tackle gambling-related harm and bring more awareness to the issue. Hebert called the opportunity humbling and he intended to give it his best and serve as advisory board chair to the benefit of the organization and consumers in North America.

He is a well-seasoned veteran with a lot of fitting legal background. Hebert served for more than 17 years as assistant attorney general and has worked actively on the creation of the Problem Gambling Resource Services program which he collaborated on with the Louisiana Department of Health.

Responsible Gambling Is the Ultimate Goal

The goal of the program is to help promote awareness for responsible gambling while addressing problem gambling and abolishing gambling-related stigma, helping vulnerable individuals get linked with treatment options.

Lycka was similarly excited at this fresh opportunity. As a trustee at the Entain Foundation US, a different entity set up to specifically look into responsible gambling, corporate compliance and sports integrity, he has been intimately involved with promoting the principles of safer gambling.

“The National Council on Problem Gambling is widely recognized as a nationwide leader in problem gambling awareness, education, and advocacy,” Lycka stated in welcoming his new appointment and said that he will be honored to be the vice chair and help forward the NCPG cause.

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