People looking to seek help for gambling problems in the U.S. would be forgiven for being a little confused as things stand, as two helpline services purport to be the national number.
After a dispute spilled over into the courts, the 1-800-GAMBLER number is now being solely run by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ). That organization holds the rights to the name and mark and ran the helpline solo from 1983 until 2022, when it licensed it to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) in a three-year agreement.
After a New Jersey court told the NCPG to cease using 1-800-GAMBLER following the expiration of that deal, the NCPG has resurrected the number it used to use for the purpose, 1-800-522-4700.
The section of the NCPG website that formerly displayed 1-800-GAMBLER resources and links now carries similar resources and information under the other number. Meanwhile, the CCGNJ’s website has the URL 800gambler.org and prominently displays 800-GAMBLER across its home page and resources.
Ostensibly, people seeking help can call either number, although observers would likely suggest that 1-800-GAMBLER holds more cachet and memorability.
NCPG says situation is temporary
The NCPG said in a statement on its website dated Sept. 29, the court-ordered date of the transition, that it was “deeply disappointed” in the court decision and voiced concerns that it could make accessing help more difficult for those in need.
The national council maintains that its offering should still be considered the national problem gambling resource.
“Importantly, NCPG will operate the National Problem Gambling Helpline using the former number, 1-800-522-4700, until a permanent solution can be determined,” read that statement.
“1-800-GAMBLER is no longer the National Problem Gambling Helpline number,” adds a note elsewhere on the NCPG website.
SBC Americas reached out to the NCPG inquiring what a permanent solution might entail, but did not hear back before the time of writing.
The NCPG used 1-800-522-4700 for decades before its 1-800-GAMBLER agreement, connecting phone calls, texts and online chat to a network of 28 contact centers across the country. It warned it would be legally required to disconnect the text message service when the agreement with the CCGNJ ceased. SBC Americas reached out to the CCGNJ to clarify, among other things, whether 1-800-GAMBLER still has a text message service.
The NCPG’s website currently advises gamblers to text 800GAM instead. It vowed there would be no disruption to the chat system, which is not connected to a phone number, and that it would continue to oversee and manage all messages via that channel through its existing network routing infrastructure.
What happens with the NFL and other partners?
During the time it was using 1-800-GAMBLER, the NCPG worked with numerous stakeholders, including gaming operators, to disseminate messaging with that number and mark.
In some states, use of the 1-800-GAMBLER number in gambling advertising is included in gaming regulations, so operators continue to display that phone number in the fine print of their marketing materials.
The NCPG also has a partnership with the NFL that includes a commitment to support the NCPG’s initiative to modernize and strengthen “the National Problem Gambling Helpline (1-800-GAMBLER).” The latest version of that agreement was a three-year deal signed in August 2024. With the change in the number, it is unclear if that partnership with the NFL continues.
Meanwhile, as everyone gets used to what for now seems to be the new normal, some state regulators are instead choosing to direct the public to their own in-state resources instead of either of the two national numbers.
