Virginia Saw 973% Increase In Problem Gambling Calls From 2019 to 2023

In March 2020, the Virginia General Assembly and Senate passed SB 384 and HB 896, which brought legal sports betting to the Old Dominion, and this move led to the state seeing a 973% increase in problem gambling calls from 2019 to 2023.

Carolyn Hawley, Director of the Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health, said a treatment program is working

Online sports betting went live in Virginia on Jan. 21, 2021, while the first retail sportsbook debuted in the state on July 8, 2022. This means gamblers were potentially using offshore sportsbooks in 2019 and 2020.

Despite the legalization of sports betting in Virginia, some treatment programs for problem gamblers in the state are beginning to see success, according to WVTF’s report.

“What we’ve seen since 2019 to 2023, an increase of 973% of callers,” said Carolyn Hawley, Director of the Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health (VPGH).

Hawley runs a state partnership with help from VCU’s Department of Rehabilitation Counseling. Although problem gambling calls have gone up, she also said the treatment system they’ve created is working.

Additionally, Hawley told the General Assembly’s Joint Subcommittee to Study the Feasibility of Establishing the Virginia Gaming Commission about the increase in calls her group has received from those experiencing gambling addiction.

In the first quarter of this year, they had 166 referrals to the partnership with over 50% of those people connecting with treatment. Other problem gambling programs across the U.S. typically see just 4 to 10% ever make it to treatment.

VPGH has built a network of 105 providers across the state

Hawley said the partnership has built a network of 105 providers across the state. Plus, approximately 96% of the people that end up in treatment say they’ve stopped or gambled less after 6 months.

“What we’re doing here in Virginia is truly remarkable and we’re becoming a model for other states to follow,” Hawley told the committee.

The Virginia Lottery defines problem gambling as “all gambling behavior patterns that compromise, disrupt or damage personal, family or vocational pursuits.”

Moreover, the Virginia Lottery advises bettors to follow six key points: know and understand the odds, play for entertainment only, set a budget or limit, maintain balance in your life, know the warning signs of problem gambling, and don’t consider gambling a way to make money.

By statute, a tax of 15% on sports betting AGR is to be paid to the Commonwealth each month. Of course, 97.5% of tax revenue is deposited in the state’s general fund, and 2.5% is deposited into the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund administered by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health.

The Virginia Problem Gambling Helpline is 888-532-3500.