EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS
As legal sports betting spreads to more and more states, funding for problem gambling services generally has not kept pace. But some states are starting to dedicate more money to such services helping addicted gamblers.
The growth of sports betting was fueled by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling five years ago that cleared the way for states to adopt it.
When Kentucky launches sports betting with the start of the NFL season Thursday, it will become the 35th state where it is operational. The District of Columbia also allows sports gambling. Maine and Vermont have passed sports betting laws that are expected to become operational in the coming months. Florida’s sports betting law is not currently in operation due to a legal challenge.
Many states already provide some funding for problem gambling services from their tax revenues and licensing fees on casinos, the lottery or other forms of gambling. In more than half the states, the laws legalizing sports betting also dedicate a portion of the state’s revenues from it to go toward gambling addiction services. Kentucky will become the latest state to start funding problem gambling services.
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READ AP’S STORY
As sports betting spikes, help for problem gamblers expands in some states
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GOVERNMENTS WITH LEGAL SPORTS BETTING
As of Thursday, when Kentucky begins taking bets, people will be able to place legal sports wagers in the following places:
Arizona
Arkansas
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Tennessee
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
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FIND YOUR STATE: PROBLEM GAMBLING FUNDING
The federal government provides no funding for problem gambling services, but most states do. According to data compiled by Problem Gambling Solutions Inc. for the National Association of Administrators for Disordered Gambling Services, governments allocated the following amounts to problem gambling services in their 2022 fiscal years. Governments did not necessarily spend the full allocated amount.
Governments, ranked from the greatest to least allocation in 2022, with the increase or decrease from the previous year in parenthesis:
1. Massachusetts $10,600,000 (up $400,000)
2. California $8,725,080 (up $43,579)
3. Oregon $8,071,041 (up $1,036,087)
4. New Jersey $7,229,000 (up $4,079,000)
5. Illinois $6,800,000 (no change)
6. Michigan $6,800,000 ( up $1,284,700)
7. Pennsylvania $6,800,000 (up $431,000)
8. Ohio $6,500,000 (up $234,160)
9. Minnesota $5,675,558 (up $3,374,287)
10. Maryland $4,601,598 (up $469,223)
11. New York $3,600,000 (down -$1,957,398)
12. Connecticut $3,213,275 (up $603,476)
13. Indiana $3,041,728 (down -$5,306)
14. Iowa $2,992,114 (no change)
15. Louisiana $2,583,873 (no change)
16. Arizona $2,564,614 (up $220,314)
17. Nebraska $2,225,074 (up $375,074)
18. Nevada $2,110,206 (up $857,513)
19. Virginia $1,960,678 (up $1,905,678)
20. Delaware $1,512,759 (up $122,917)
21. West Virginia $1,453,840 (no change)
22. Florida $1,250,000 (no change)
23. North Carolina $1,000,000 (no change)
24. Oklahoma $1,000,000 (no change)
25. Washington $806,500 (up $76,500)
26. Kansas $600,000 (down -$112,316)
27. Wyoming $500,000 (up $492,812)
28. Georgia $400,000 (no change)
29. Wisconsin $396,000 (no change)
30. North Dakota $356,400 (down -$3,600)
31. South Dakota $244,000 (no change)
32. Arkansas $220,000 (no change)
33. District of Columbia $200,000 (no change)
34. Rhode Island $200,000 (down -$349,617)
35. Tennessee $180,000 (down -$20,000)
36. Missouri $153,606 (no change)
37. Vermont $149,800 (no change)
38. Colorado $130,000 (up $100,000)
39. New Hampshire $100,000 (no change)
40. South Carolina $100,000 (no change)
41. Maine $92,000 (down -$14,000)
42. New Mexico $72,250 (up $2,250)
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FIND YOUR STATE: NO PROBLEM GAMBLING FUNDING
The following nine states allocated no funding for problem gambling services in their 2022 fiscal years, according to data compiled by Problem Gambling Solutions Inc. for the National Association of Administrators for Disordered Gambling Services. Some of these states, like Kentucky, may have since decided to provide funding.
Alaska
Alabama
Hawaii
Idaho
Kentucky
Mississippi
Montana
Texas
Utah
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ADDITIONAL DATA RESOURCES
— The American Gaming Association maintains an interactive U.S. map showing where sports betting is legal and operational. The map can be found here.
— The National Council on Problem Gambling maintains a state-by-state list of resources for people with gambling problems, which can be found here.
— The National Association of Administrators for Disordered Gambling Services commissioned a study of state-by-state funding for problem gambling services. The original report, released last year, contains details from the 2021 fiscal year. A follow-up report released earlier this year contains 2022 fiscal year figures.
— The University of Massachusetts School of Public Health Services released a report last year on the potential impact of sports betting. Though prepared for Massachusetts, the report contains national data.
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CONSIDER THESE REPORTING THREADS
— If your state has legalized sports betting, did the state law doing so require a portion of the state’s revenues to go toward problem gambling services? If so, how much? Was there any debate about this in the state legislature?
— Has your state increased — or decreased — funding for problem gambling services in recent years? What has been the consequence of this? Talk to administrators of the state funds or to nonprofit grant recipients to see whether they added, expanded or reduced any particular programs such as public awareness campaigns or individual counseling services.
— If your state has adopted sports betting, has there been an increased demand for problem gambling services? Talk to the administrators of your state’s problem gambling helpline to see how many calls they have received. Or talk to nonprofit organizations and private counseling services to get an idea of what they are hearing.
— If your state provides nothing for problem gambling services, why not? Is this because your state has few or no legalized forms of gambling? Was funding eliminated during prior budget cuts? Has there been resistance to it for some reason by budget writers in the state legislature?
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