Latest news with #ProblemGamblingNetworkofOhio
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Slots, Blackjack in the palm of your hand; State continues discussions over online gambling bill
Ohio State Senators held a committee hearing on the expansion of online gambling. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] News Center 7's Xaiver Hershovitz heard from those in favor and in opposition of the new online gambling bill. TRENDING STORIES: Hope remains to save historic Catholic church engulfed in flames, Archdiocese says Loretta Swit, 'Hot Lips' Houlihan on 'M*A*S*H,' dies at 87 Kettering Health warns of spam communication amid cyberattack There are bills in the state house right now that, if passed, would allow for online gambling. Caesars Entertainment representative Trevor Hayes said the problem isn't going away, whether the bill passes or not. 'It's here now. It's here in this state. You can go online to Google, iGaming, iCasinos, slots, whatever, and you can pop it up immediately,' Hayes said. Casino leaders say illegal online gambling is already happening in the Buckeye State. They argue this bill would crack down on that and allow for more regulation, stopping minors from gambling online. Their other argument is that online gambling would create an additional revenue stream for the state. 'This has a chance to produce a lot more tax revenue for your state, protect the citizens of your state, and make sure that you get some tax dollars in the process,' Hayes said. Executive Director of Problem Gambling Network of Ohio Derek Longmeir said the social costs outweigh the potential tax benefit. 'Problem Gambling Network of Ohio isn't typically opposed to gambling legislation. We just want to make sure that the safeguards are in place,' Longmeir said. Sports betting had been legal in Ohio for about two years now and Longmeir said the timing of this bill concerns him. 'The casino Control Commission is working through doing a study that won't come out until later fall. So we think it's premature to further expand gambling without knowing what the impact of sports betting has been,' Longmeir said. The bills are still in the committee right now in both the house and the senate. They have to be passed out of each committee then each chamber before heading to the Governor's desk. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Axios
20-03-2025
- Health
- Axios
As sports betting grows, so does problem gambling
The rise of sports betting has coincided with a statewide explosion of problem gamblers. Why it matters: Gambling addiction can be as crippling as drug addiction, and Ohio invests 2% of its sports betting tax proceeds toward combatting the problem. How it works: The nonprofit Problem Gambling Network of Ohio promotes a variety of resources, from the problem gambling helpline and gamblers anonymous meeting locator to financial counseling. It also offers services for gamblers to self-ban themselves from casinos and betting websites. Last year, the nonprofit launched the Ohio Gambling Telehealth Network to connect people with gambling counselors even if they don't have local access to one. The state has its own responsible gambling initiative. State of play: The nonprofit's leader sees shifts in the way people become addicted. "Put in your mind what gambling looks like: You're probably at a casino," executive director Derek Longmeier tells us. "But that's not where a lot of gambling takes place now." Threat level: Slot machines have historically been the game most associated with addiction risk, Longmeier says, but the accessibility of mobile sports betting makes it even riskier. "What makes slot machines so addictive is how many repetitions you can have within a short amount of time," he says. "Now (with sports gambling), you can do that … 24/7 in the palm of your hand." Between the lines: Sports gambling hasn't been legal here long enough for a comprehensive study on its addiction impact, but warning signs already existed. A state survey found that around 6% of Ohioans were at-risk or problem gamblers in 2012 when casinos first opened. That figure jumped to nearly 20% in 2022. Flashback: PGNO's growth during Longmeier's nine years at the helm demonstrates the magnitude of need. In 2016, his entire program was funded by a $20,000 grant, he says. The 2025 budget — funded by state grants and contracts, donations and gambling tax revenue — is $3 million. "In my first few months, I was trying to get people to care about gambling and was told quite literally, 'We have bigger fish to fry.' … It was both rewarding and sad for those same people who had bigger fish to fry to come back last year and say, 'We really see this as an issue. Can you help us?'" What's next: Matt Schuler, executive director of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, tells Axios the state wants sportsbooks to improve their ability to "detect and properly address" customers showing signs of problem gambling. An example would be when a customer typically betting $25 or $50 starts betting $300 at a time — a sign of "chasing their losses." Yes, but: Schuler says that sportsbooks, by nature, are trying to appeal to the same impulses that can lead to addiction and financial ruin.
