“We’ve made an organizational commitment to promoting responsible play, and it’s an honor to receive recognition from the WLA,” said Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director Gordon Medenica. “We thank the members of the IAP for their evaluation and assessments, which will be invaluable as we continue to develop new responsible gambling efforts.”
For immediate release
January 9, 2019
Contact:
Carole Bober Gentry
410-230-8725 (office)
410-365-6384 (cell)
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Maryland Lottery Receives Responsible Gambling Certification
(Baltimore) – As part of its ongoing commitment to responsible gambling, the Maryland Lottery is proud to announce that it has been approved for Level 3 certification by the World Lottery Association (WLA).
Based in Basel, Switzerland, the WLA is a global organization that offers four levels of responsible gambling certification. Member lottery organizations must demonstrate adherence to the WLA’s Responsible Gambling Principles and Framework by documenting their practices across the entire range of operations, including game design, marketing, sales, advertising, player education and engagement with other gambling stakeholders. In its application for Level 3 status, the Maryland Lottery reviewed its responsible gambling initiatives and committed to developing additional programs that will be necessary to achieve Level 4, the most advanced WLA certification. Applications are reviewed by the WLA’s Independent Assessment Panel (IAP), which is comprised of lottery industry and problem gambling experts.
“We’ve made an organizational commitment to promoting responsible play, and it’s an honor to receive recognition from the WLA,” said Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director Gordon Medenica. “We thank the members of the IAP for their evaluation and assessments, which will be invaluable as we continue to develop new responsible gambling efforts.”
Lottery and gaming organizations from 20 U.S. states and more than 80 nations on six continents are members of the WLA. Eight U.S. lotteries have achieved Level 4 status.
The Maryland Lottery includes responsible play messaging on all of its tickets, advertising and point-of-sale materials, along with the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline number. Callers to the helpline can receive confidential assistance 24 hours a day. The Lottery also conducts multi-tiered reviews of its games and promotions to ensure that they do not encourage excessive play and that they are not marketed to minors.
In 2010, Maryland Lottery and Gaming formed the Maryland Alliance for Responsible Gambling (MARG), a collaborative forum through which the state’s gambling stakeholders work together to develop and enhance resources to help those impacted by problem gambling. Among the founding members of MARG is the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling, which provides free problem gambling assessment and treatment to Maryland residents. Maryland’s casino operators pay annual assessments into the state’s problem gambling fund, which helps pay for the Center of Excellence’s operations. In Fiscal Year 2018, these assessments totaled more than $5.2 million. Maryland is among the top 10 U.S. states in terms of per capita funding for problem gambling programs.
“Congratulations to the Maryland Lottery on its WLA certification,” said Lori Rugle, Responsible Gambling Specialist with the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries. “The Lottery has played a key role in Maryland, assuring that help is available for individuals who struggle with gambling problems. I’m confident its efforts will continue to develop.”
Since its inception in 1973, Maryland Lottery and Gaming has awarded more than $25.6 billion in prizes to Lottery players and more than $16 billion in Lottery revenue to the State of Maryland. One of Maryland’s largest revenue sources, the Lottery supports important state programs and services including education, public safety and health, human resources and the environment. For more information, go to mdlottery.com. Please remember to play responsibly and within your budget. For confidential help or information about gambling problems, visit mdgamblinghelp.org or call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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Carole Bober Gentry
Managing Director of Communications
Maryland Lottery and Gaming
1800 Washington Blvd., Suite 330
Baltimore, MD 21230
410-230-8725
CONNECT WITH US
Maryland Lottery and Gaming contributed a record $1.252 billion
to the State of Maryland in FY2018. Please play responsibly.