The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is close to agreeing a deal to acquire the 800-GAMBLER helpline from its New Jersey affiliate.
As exclusively reported by PlayUSA, the NCPG is aiming to create a single, national helpline for those struggling with problem gambling to remove the complications of having seperate state helplines.
Under the plans, 800-GAMBLER would replace the NCPG’s current national number 800-5222-4700 to simplify the process for problem gamblers to find support.
According to the report, negotiations are still ongoing between the NCPG and the Council on Problem Gambling of New Jersey for the Garden State organization to relinquish control of the helpline it has hosted since the 1980s.
NCPG Executive Director, Keith Whyte, told PlayUSA this week: “We have a proposal with the New Jersey chapter to lease in 800-GAMBLER in the other 49 states. If we do that, we would make it so whether you call the national number or 800-GAMBLER, your call is routed to the local call center for the same local services.
“If we can do that, we’ll probably switch to using 800-GAMBLER nationally. It’s easier to remember, it’s more memorable. The board of directors of NCPG still hasn’t made that decision yet, but I don’t think we would try and get the rights of 800-GAMBLER if we weren’t going to use it.”
