Letter to the Editor by Michelle Hadden, Assistant Executive Director of Program at the New York Council on Problem Gambling
“We Know Who They Are”, said New York Council on Problem Gambling, Executive Director, Jim Maney. “We know who is losing 120 million dollars in just two weeks in New York to Mobile Sports Betting. The question is how much do we care?”
If we had a registry of those who were struggling with opioid addiction in New York state, a clearly identified list of names with contact information, what would we do with it? Would we reach out with educational information for those who were just beginning to use it? Would we reach out with harm reduction and treatment tools for those who were showing signs of more frequent use?
Every Mobile Sport Betting licensee has this information. A list of account holders, how much they spend, their gambling activity and more. And yet we do little to address those New Yorkers who are losing 70 million in a week, 200 million in a month. Recent analysis of national data from the four largest US online operators shows that those aged 28-43 account for 60% of all players and money lost. The second largest group is those under 28 years old.
We are advertising and sending promotions, enticing people, vulnerable people, to participate in an activity that we know comes with the risk of addiction. For most of that second largest group of players, those under 28, their brains either aren’t fully or have just finished fully developing, making them at higher risk than the general population. On average the typical college student receives 25 credit card solicitations a semester. Twenty-five opportunities to stay “in action” placing bets with money they don’t have.
This downward spiral from fun and entertainment to problem gambling, to devastating financial and emotional consequences is heard in the voices of individuals, parents and spouses who reach out for help not knowing what to do next. It’s heard in the stories of those who’ve recovered, but never forget that their addiction brought them to the brink of family ruin, suicide, crime and despair.
If we care enough, New York will do what it takes to mitigate the impact of expanded gambling opportunities. This will take true partnership between the State and the gambling industry to find solutions to assist those players who are struggling. Because we DO know who they are, we know how to reach them, and we know how to offer assistance that puts them on the path to a healthy lifestyle free from gambling addiction.
