Who Owns 1-800-GAMBLER? Legal Fight Threatens Nation’s Top Gambling Helpline

^{A mobile billboard promoting the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline, operated by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, highlights the number’s longstanding role in providing confidential help for gambling addiction. (Photo: courtesy of CCGNJ)}

With the rise in online gambling and sports betting across the United States, there has been a corresponding increase in the awareness of problem gambling resources, the most famous of which might be 1-800-GAMBLER – the National Problem Gambling Helpline. But a New Jersey lawsuit could threaten the national reach of the well-known hotline. 

A lawsuit filed in Mercer County Superior Court in New Jersey is pitting the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) against the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ).

America’s Gambling Hotline Could Go Silent After NJ Lawsuit

While the NCPG currently operates and maintains the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline, the phone number is owned by the CCGNJ, which licenses the number to the NCPG. 

According to the lawsuit, filed on July 11, NCPG entered into a contract with CCGNJ in 2022 that allowed the national organization to use the phone number at a price of $150,000 per year. That contract was set to expire on May 31. However, the parties disagreed on whether NCPG had properly invoked an optional three-year extension of the contract.

Initially, the two sides agreed to extend the contract through July 15 while they worked on the issue. However, NCPG alleges that despite several attempts to talk to CCGNJ about entering into arbitration specified under the original contact, it hasn’t heard anything from the New Jersey organization.

The National Problem Gambling Helpline won’t be going down, at least not right away. The court granted a temporary restraining order that will keep 1-800-GAMBLER running nationally through at least Aug. 26. 

In a statement to SBC Americas, the NCPG said it is important to keep the hotline up and running while the legal dispute plays out.

“Continuity of service is critical for the long-term viability of the helpline,” NCPG Director of Communications Cait Huble said. “Interruption will reduce access to 1-800-GAMBLER that thousands of individuals throughout the country rely on as the primary access to problem gambling treatment and recovery resources for themselves and their loved ones.”

Patchwork System of Gambling Help Leaves Public at a Loss

Along with running 1-800-GAMBLER, the NCPG also offers additional resources to those who are suffering from gambling problems and their loved ones. That includes the council’s website, which features a self-assessment test, links to state-level resources, and information on treatment.

Similarly, CCGNJ offers free presentations and other educational initiatives throughout New Jersey. It also trains professionals throughout the state, provides resources for those dealing with problem gambling, and performs some services for the New Jersey Department of Human Services.

According to NCPG’s latest National Survey on Gambling Attitudes and Gambling Experiences, which was conducted in April 2024, approximately eight percent of American adults reported at least one indicator of problem gambling. That number was down from 11 percent in 2021, though slightly up from the original 2018 survey (seven percent).

“After growing significantly during the pandemic and the continued expansion of sports betting, as of 2024, risking gambling behavior has leveled off,” the NCPG said in reference to the survey results. “However, it is too early to assume that rates of problematic play are stable.”