8 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MARCH/APRIL 2023 From the Publisher The Problem with “Problem Gambling” The legalization of sports betting is exploding across the U.S. Next up is online casino-style gambling. And yet legislatures continue to drag their feet when it comes to authorizing their own state lotteries to make lottery games available online. What is wrong with this picture and how can we fix it??? Some thoughts, just some personal opinions which can be ignored as you like: The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) states that “As sports betting expands, the risk of gambling problems does as well. Between 2018 and 2021, NCPG estimates that the risk of gambling addiction grew by 30%. NCPG has also seen significant increases in calls, texts and chats to the National Problem Gambling Helpline — roughly a 45% increase in calls between 2021 and 2022.” Notice, they did not say that Lottery is the cause of the problem. They did not say “As irresponsible gifting of lottery tickets expands, the risk of gambling problems does as well.” Ever see High Noon with Gary Cooper? There was a problem – the bad guys were going to arrive the next day and the sheriff needed everyone to band together to defend the little town. The only right thing to do was to join hands with the sheriff to defend their town, but everyone wanted to talk about other ways to deal with the problem, or excuse their lack of action by hiding behind the shield of being “neutral”. The sports betting sector did not allow themselves to be distracted by their many differences and the fact that they compete with each other. They recognized the need to work together and in unison to promote their shared goal of getting sports betting authorized. I just wonder how productive it is to focus on something like the gifting of lottery tickets when consumers are being routed to sports betting and online casino-style gambling instead of playing the lottery. Seems a pretty irresponsible approach to Responsible Gaming. I am not arguing for gifting lottery tickets irresponsibly. I am just submitting that even the NCPG points out that the real problem is not about Lottery. It is about the proliferation of sports betting and online casino-style gambling over against Lottery. More specifically, it’s not that sports betting and online gambling should not be legalized and regulated. It’s just that iLottery represents a much more benign and less harmful form of gaming than sports betting and online casino-style gambling and so should clearly be authorized at least as readily as sports betting and online gambling. Flogging the consumer over gifting of lottery tickets implies that lottery-playing is the problem and distracts from the real issues of how to protect vulnerable consumers. The cause of Responsible Gaming would be much better served by shining the light on how Lottery is much less a threat to vulnerable consumers as these other games-of-chance categories. As an industry, we need to find ways to bring this proper perspective to the attention of our legislators, our stakeholders, and the general media. And we need industry leaders like NCPG to promote real insight and understanding to these issues and not be distracted by issues which are not irrelevant but should not be elevated to top-of-mind. We need the NCPG and others to explain how and why continuing to prohibit iLottery while legalizing sports betting and online gambling is an abomination to any pretense of Responsible Gaming. “The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is neutral on legalized gambling ... NCPG seeks to minimize the economic and social costs associated with gambling addiction.” Neutrality when faced with misguided policy-making that conflicts directly with the stated mission of upholding RG is not a virtue. The NCPG has the power to actually have an impact. We need their help. We need the help of all lottery stakeholders to pull together to represent the interests of the people to empower their own state lottery at least as much as the goals of commercial gambling operators. And let’s please stop hiding behind the shield of “neutrality”. Slight change of focus but still on the sore subject of state legislatures failing to authorize iLottery when they are legalizing sports betting and online gambling – check out the Mark Hichar article on the financial impacts of continuing to prohibit iLottery. Not only is iLottery much more RG-friendly than sports betting and online casino-style gambling, it generates far more income for the benefit of the people than these other tax-and-regulate game categories. A special thanks to Sarah Taylor and Jeff Anderson for our wonderful interviews; and to all our editorial contributors and advertisers! I hope everyone has jumped off to a most productive first quarter of 2023, that we see you at PGRI Smart-Tech Miami March 28-30; and then at the EL Congress in Šibenik, Croatia. Has there ever been a more exciting time to be in the government-lottery business! Paul Jason, Publisher Public Gaming International Magazine
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