NC Agency Responds to National Council on Problem Gambling’s Criticism

A spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services responded to a less than favorable report from the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), which found that North Carolina was aligned with more than 40 of the NCPG’s 82 responsible gambling standards.

The report from the nonprofit NCPG, which bills itself as “the only national nonprofit organization that seeks to mitigate gambling-related harm,” looked at policies against problem gambling in states where some form of gambling is legal. Its report found that North Carolina was among a group of states

North Carolina online sports betting has been live since March of this year.

Report lists areas in which NC needs improvement

According to the NCPG report, North Carolina fell short in several areas concerning responsible gambling safeguards and problem gambling mitigation, including:

  • Promotion of responsible gambling on social media;
  • Mandatory limit setting at account creation;
  • Self-exclusion renewal;
  • Problem gambling monitoring;
  • Avoiding higher-risk groups;
  • Age verification standards;
  • Financial commitment to addressing gambling-related harm; and
  • Data available to researchers.

To be clear, this report focused only on “each jurisdiction’s sports betting authorization statute or equivalent, accompanying regulations adopted by the state’s appointed regulatory agency for sports betting, as well as other published documentation such as technical standards or formal guidance.” In short, it examined the contents of North Carolina’s sports betting regulations and the state’s sports betting law.

For better or worse, it did not consider any steps taken by online sportsbook operators in the state. The report’s methodology states, “this report does not evaluate any sports betting operator’s product for responsible gambling standards and player protection methods.”

With that in mind, it’s worth noting that, while the report highlights “age verification standards” as a growth area, all legal online sportsbooks in North Carolina and the state’s three retail sportsbooks require customers to verify their ages through industry-standard practices.

State agency looks at legislation, more funding

In response, Hannah Jones, a spokesperson for the NC Department of Health and Human Services, which is tasked with providing problem gambling support, said,

“In preparation for the launch of sports betting, we have refocused our prevention programs, and our education program for treatment providers has focused heavily on sports betting. Our goal remains that anyone who wants or needs help has access to quality and consistent care and services. The law allocates an additional $2 million in the state budget to help prevent, treat, and provide services related to problem gambling.”

Regarding next steps, she said the department encourages legislation as well as additional funding “for promoting informed decision-making, staff training, and greater financial commitment to research and treatment of gambling-related harms.”

Jones also noted that while responsible gambling should be the goal for those placing bets in the Tar Heel State, it’s up to individual gamblers to reach out for the counseling and peer support the state offers if they believe they have gambling issues. She said,

“Funding and awareness are the most important tools we have, along with understanding that anyone can, but not everyone does, experience harms from gambling. Responsible gambling tools should be used the same way people who go out in the sun use sunscreen, as protective factors to mitigate harms. Those protective factors come from … both the operators, in the form of tools which promote positive play and limit high-risk behaviors, and regulations which set up safeguards to [prevent] high-risk individuals and youth from heavy exposure.”

Programs focus on resources, recovery, educating youth

NCSharp reported in July 2023 that the state received an additional $2 million annually under the law that made sports betting legal in North Carolina. That money was allotted “to expand the program that provides ‘effective problem gambling prevention, education, outreach, and treatment services throughout North Carolina.’”

Programs funded by the additional $2 million allocated in the state budget include More Than a Game, described as aiming “to help North Carolinians address, diagnose, treat, and recover from gambling-related addiction.”

Through the program, people can locate specialists, access downloadable tools to aid recovery, and find 24/7 resources to contact with pressing concerns.

The state offers a trio of other programs to mitigate problem gambling, including Blurring the Lines of Gambling, a self-paced, five-part workshop geared toward counselors working with children and adolescents but open to anyone through the Behavioral Health Springboard at UNC Chapel Hill.

While NCSharp reported that male college graduates are statistically most susceptible to gambling addiction, the Blurring the Lines of Gambling workshop illustrates the need to educate youths about responsible gaming even before they’re old enough to legally gamble.

 

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About the Author

Phil West

Phil West is a longtime journalist based in Austin, Texas, whose bylines have appeared in The Daily Dot, Nautilus, Pro Soccer USA, Howler, Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, San Antonio Express-News, Austin American-Statesman, and Austin Chronicle. He has also written two books about soccer.