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Problem Gambling Support in Prarielands Area [1]
- Iowa
- The state mandates 0.5 % of the gross lottery revenues and 0.5 % of the adjusted gross receipts from riverboat casinos and racetracks be deposited into a fund for gambling treatment and education services. The Iowa Gambling Treatment Program, which is administered by the Iowa Department of Public Health, provides education, training, referral and counseling services, helpline and Web site for persons affected by problem gambling behavior. Media messages are placed statewide. The Iowa Lottery displays the helpline number on vending machines, on-line terminals, all instant-scratch and on-line tickets and in its marketing materials. Casinos and racetracks also address problem gambling and display the helpline number and printed materials about problem gambling.
- A senior Lottery executive sits on the Iowa Gambling Treatment Program Advisory Committee, which assists the Iowa Department of Public Health in developing treatment assistance policy.
- Minnesota
- Through fiscal year 2004, the Lottery transferred 18.4 million to the Department of Human Services for compulsive gambling, prevention, research, and treatment. In FY'05, the Lottery will transfer $1.896 million. Lottery contributions account for all state funding for problem gambling.
- The Lottery developed a public service advertising the campaign on compulsive gambling that aired on all Minnesota Commercial TV stations and about 142 radio stations.
- The Lottery designed and printed more than 100,000 stickers advertising the state's Problem Gambling Helpline. These stickers have been posted at all lottery retailers and are available free to other organizations.
- The Lottery pays for all compulsive gambling posters and other material produced by the Gambling Problems Resource Center; and the Lottery provides space for the Center on the Lottery's web site.
- The Lottery is an active member of the state's Advisory Committee on Compulsive Gambling, the Northstar Problem Gambling Alliance, and is an institutional member of the National Council on Problem Gambling. Lottery staff serve on the boards of all three organizations.
- The Lottery has compiled a comprehensive annotated bibliography on compulsive gambling research which is available to the general public.
- The Lottery developed and airs TV and radio advertisements urging responsible play during large Powerball jackpots.
- The Lottery places the number of the state's problem gambling hotline on brochures that advertise or describe lottery games.
- The Lottery has provided training on problem gambling to its entire staff.
- The Lottery includes a regular column on problem gambling in its retailer newsletter.
- Nebraska
- By statute, the Nebraska Lottery contributes annually the first $500,000 in fund proceeds plus one percent of proceeds to compulsive gamblers assistance. Without statutory requirement, the Nebraska Lottery has gone much further in attempt ing to address compulsive gambling concerns. The Nebraska Lottery includes the compulsive gambling help line on all tickets sold and makes compulsive gaming information and materials available to players and retailers via its web site, newsletters, signage, and by other means.The Nebraska Lotteryhas a good working relationship with the Compulsive Gamblers Assistance Fund program and the Nebraska Council on Compulsive Gambling.
- The Nebraska Lottery and its advertising agency worked to develop a public service announcement campaign on behalf of these entities. Both of these entities currently collect data on compulsive gamblers. Notably, only one percent of callers to the compulsive gambling help line in 1998 cited lottery tickets as their primary gambling choice.
- Historically, the Nebraska Lottery has had very few problems with minors buying lottery tickets. The Nebraska Legislature has established the minimum age to purchase and redeem state lottery tickets as 19. It is a criminal offense to sell Nebraska Lottery tickets to minors, and the Nebraska Lottery regularly reminds retailers and customers of that fact. The minimum age is posted through a variety of means ranging from ticket display units and how-to-play materials to publi cations and the Nebraska Lottery web site. Any suspicious activity involving minors is investigated by the Department of Revenue Investigations Unit and local authorities and is prosecuted when appropriate.
- North Dakota
- By law, transfers $400,000 (determined by formula - 5% of Lottery gross profit) each biennium to a Compulsive Gambling Prevention and Treatment Fund that is administered by the North Dakota Department of Human Services. This appropria tion is to address problem gambling related to tribal, charitable, and lottery activities.
- Encourages players to play responsibly by including a "Play Responsibly" notice on all point-of-sale items and media advertising.
- Provides a toll-free gambling Help Line number on all point-of-sale items and a sticker affixed to lottery terminals.
- Reminds lottery retailers that a player must be at least age 18 to play or redeem a ticket.
- Screens potential promotional events to ensure that they are not predominately attracted to minors.
- Director is a member of the Council on Compulsive Gambling in North Dakota.
- South Dakota
- Provide $200,000 to the South Dakota Department of Human Services for gambling problem treatment programs.
- Executive Director is a member of the board of directors of the South Dakota Council on Problem Gambling (SDCPG) which sponsors problem gambling education and referral services.
- Lottery prints the SDCPG hot line number on all tickets and brochures.
- Lottery publishes a specific problem gambling brochure available at all lottery retail outlets.
- Lottery scrolls the problem gambling hot line number across the screens of idle video lottery terminals.
- Problem gambling posters with the hot line number are distributed with all video lottery establishment licenses to be posted near VLTs.
- Lottery web site advertises the hot line.
- Lottery encourages newspapers to publish the hot line along with the winning lotto numbers.
- Lottery "play responsibly" ads run during large jackpot runs.
[1]: http://www.naspl.org/support.html
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