Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Council for Responsible Gambling received approval to use $290,000 in state funding to build capacity for gambling-related clinical, prevention and intervention services throughout New Hampshire. With approval from the New Hampshire Executive Council following a standard Request for Proposal process, the New Hampshire Council for Responsible Gambling will enter into a three-year contract with the New Hampshire Council on Problem Gambling to build training and clinical capacity, advance self-exclusion services and to facilitate outreach and awareness activities.
The New Hampshire Council for Responsible Gambling was established through the 2019 legislation legalizing sports betting in the Granite State and is tasked with education, prevention and treatment related to gambling disorders in New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Council on Problem Gambling is a private nonprofit agency providing information, education, advocacy and prevention services, along with referrals to treatment for those impacted by gambling addictions.
"We are proud to be able to use this critical funding to implement meaningful programming and services," said Maura McCann, Chairwoman, New Hampshire Council on Responsible Gambling. "Our goal is to create a robust statewide clinical workforce to provide a safety net and support system for those suffering from gambling addiction. We are pleased to be able to work with the New Hampshire Council on Problem Gambling to build capacity."
With this funding, the New Hampshire Council for Responsible Gambling and the New Hampshire Council on Problem Gambling will train clinicians to provide individual and group counseling for problem gambling and will perform outreach to at-risk individuals. The Councils will also support a variety of services beyond professional treatment, such as self-help meetings, recovery support, a 24/7 helpline and voluntary self-exclusion.
"This is an important step for the state of New Hampshire and we are excited to be able to play a role in increasing services for those suffering with gambling problems," said Edmond Talbot, Executive Director, New Hampshire Council on Problem Gambling. "We estimate upwards of 20,000 New Hampshire residents suffer with gambling addictions, and we anticipate that number continuing to grow as gambling opportunities expand. These individuals and their families need a support system now more than ever."
For the past seven years, the New Hampshire Lottery has provided $25,000 annually along with in-kind donations to support those with gambling addictions. To this point, that was the extent of funding New Hampshire had dedicated to this cause.
The New Hampshire Council for Responsible Gambling is composed of five board members, all of whom have experience in the field of addiction or mental health services with a focus on problem gambling. Board members include Chairwoman Maura McCann, Marketing Director, New Hampshire Lottery; and Commissioners Dr. Heather Gray, Director of Academic Affairs at the Division on Addiction at Cambridge Health Alliance and Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; Dr. Debi LaPlante, Director of the Division on Addiction at Cambridge Health Alliance and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; Dorothea Duda, M.Ed, former Director of Outpatient Psychiatry and Addictions at Mt. Auburn Hospital and Director of Operations, New Hampshire Council on Problem Gambling; and Edmond Talbot, Executive Director, New Hampshire Council on Problem Gambling. Members serve three-year terms.
About the New Hampshire Council for Responsible Gambling
The New Hampshire Council for Responsible Gambling, which was established through the 2019 legislation legalizing sports betting in the Granite State, is a five-member board tasked with education, prevention and treatment related to gambling disorders in New Hampshire. The Council addresses the social, financial and emotional costs of problem gambling by providing information, education, advocacy and prevention services, as well as referrals to treatment for problem gambling to those affected, their family and their loved ones and the community.
About the New Hampshire Council on Problem Gambling
The New Hampshire Council on Problem Gambling is a private nonprofit agency created in 1996 to address the social, financial and emotional costs of problem gambling. The Council provides information, education, advocacy and prevention services as well as referrals to treatment for problem gambling to those afflicted, their loved ones and the community. For more information on gambling addictions and the resources the New Hampshire Council on Problem Gambling offers, please visit: http://nhproblemgambling.org/