Calls to Problem Gambling Hotline were up 121% in a year, Mass. DPH says

WORCESTER, Mass. – Calls to the state’s Problem Gambling Helpline were up 121% in just the year between 2022 and 2023.

New data from the state’s Department of Public Health shows some people were calling in saying they needed help because of problems with sports betting.

Those calls were up 1,000%. The DPH said they’ve been working to improve access to helplines with public awareness campaigns and education statewide.

“I think one of the areas that was quite interesting for a lot of us that looked at the data is the amount of individuals who called who are in recovery from problem gambling, who were calling the helpline, which is not very typical,” said Victor Ortiz, the director of the Office of Problem Gambling Services for Massachusetts Department of Public Health. “Usually, they have other outlets in regards to getting support or things of that nature. But the fact that we got such a significant increase of folks in recovery from gambling calling the help line, I think, was something that is interesting, that we’re going to take a deeper look at. It appears that a lot of the folks who were calling were very triggered by the ads, the tsunami of ads we’ve seen and continue to see.”

The DPH said many calls were people mistakenly thinking they could get technical help with their betting apps.

Between February and June of 2023, they received more than 2,000 calls, but more than 1,000 were “non-helpline” calls.

If you or someone you know needs help, you can call the problem gambling helpline at 1-800-327-5050. or text GAMB to 800-327.