A NASPL RG Roundtable
Published February 18, 2025
Hoosier Lottery
Kate Carlson
Director of CSR & Compliance
For March 2025, the Hoosier Lottery has developed a Player Health Screening using the Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen. Our goal is to destigmatize the language and encourage positive play, all while supporting problem gambling awareness among our players. We are supporting this initiative with a complete marketing campaign and a player promotion where players can win one of five Positive Play prize packs upon completing the screening. Our Positive Play Prize Packs contain a scarf, hat, notebook, backpack, and two Indianapolis Indians tickets.
Additionally, we are supporting PGAM with:
Billboard advertisements
Website popup ads
Homepage feature on website
In-app pop up ads
Email module
Paid social media posts
Television interviews with our Executive Director, Sarah M. Taylor
Printed retail advertising
Digital retail advertising
Kansas Lottery
Brad Johnston
Responsible Gaming Manager
The Kansas Lottery is excited to once again take part in Problem Gambling Awareness Month. We have multiple campaigns and public events planned to celebrate the event. To start, we recently hired Brad Johnston as our new Responsible Gaming Manager. Brad will be joining Governor Laura Kelly on February 25 for a proclamation signing to mark March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month in Kansas. Additionally, we will use our social media channels to promote awareness of the campaign, and have multiple media releases raising awareness of the proclamation signing and PGAM in Kansas.
Kentucky Lottery
Terry Sebastian
VP, Communications & Public Relations
March always provides the Kentucky Lottery the opportunity to amplify our responsible gambling efforts around nationally-focused Problem Gambling Awareness Month. We are digitally engaging players and retailers by highlighting our Positive Play and Play Responsibly initiatives. Our RG Committee is hosting an employee “lunch and learn” with the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities program for problem gambling that focuses on educating Kentuckians about safe gambling practices. Additionally, we are sponsoring the Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling’s 28th Annual Educational and Awareness Conference, which, in part, provides training for behavioral health counselors to ensure more support services are offered across every region of the state.
Louisiana Lottery
Kimberly Chopin
Director of Communications
The Louisiana Lottery has several tactics planned to increase awareness of responsible play and problem gambling, including a news release, social media posts, web banners, draw-game ticket messages, mobile app notifications, a players club email and radio PSAs featuring our President, Rose Hudson. Most of our messaging and creative will include NCGP’s “Seeking Understanding” theme for 2025.
We also take time to make sure our retailer play centers are stocked with our Play It Smart brochure and are aware of the observance through articles in our retailer newsletter.
Finally, we display PGAM posters with responsible play tips in all of our regional prize claims offices.
Massachusetts Lottery
Christian Teja
Director of Communications
The Massachusetts State Lottery and the Mass DPH’s Office of Problem Gambling Services work in collaboration to raise awareness of problem gambling and the availability of prevention, screenings, treatment and recovery services in Massachusetts. As part of this partnership, the Lottery will be hosting informational tables with educational resources provided by Mass DPH at each of the Lottery’s six claim centers over the course of the month.
Additionally, the Lottery is working with the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health to provide responsible gambling training sessions to Lottery employees across the Commonwealth during Problem Gambling Awareness Month.
The Mass Lottery utilizes its website, social media, mobile app, customer-facing display monitors, Keno screens, and tickets to promote the Massachusetts Problem Gambling Helpline and website. The Lottery also provides inventory for public service announcements on radio stations across the state throughout the month of March.
Minnesota Lottery
Joan Schimml
Director of Public Affairs
At the Minnesota Lottery we are committed to promoting a culture of responsible play. We are partnering with the Minnesota Alliance on Problem Gambling on the news release and media outreach efforts to generate media attention and public education surrounding Problem Gambling Awareness Month. A brand-new responsible gambling ad campaign will air throughout the month of March to support this message. Our tagline is, “It’s always good to know your limits,” to help increase awareness with players and the community about problem gambling and the resources available to help a loved one or those who may be struggling. Our retail partners will also be displaying a poster at their business to help amplify this message. We are refreshing and expanding our responsible gambling content on our website and will continue to support the campaign with a blog post and weekly social posts.
Montana Lottery
Celina Clift
Content Manager
For Problem Gambling Awareness Month, the Montana Lottery is running a multi-platform campaign. The Montana Council on Problem Gambling branding and their 24-hour helpline number will be featured in graphics displayed on the Montana Lottery's website, all social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X - @montanalottery), and all in-store Lottery player advertising displays and machines.
North Carolina Education Lottery
Leigh Warren
Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Communications
For Problem Gambling Awareness Month, N.C. Education Lottery will highlight our player education program, Play Smart. In the fall, we relaunched Play Smart with an “all things lottery approach” in the hope that the program will feel more relevant to all players.
Our primary focus this PGAM is to help retailers shift their view of Play Smart from an RG resource only for problem gamblers to a site that gives players lottery tips and tools to help them make winning decisions. The Play Smart site still guides players to a place where they can seek problem gambling resources and contains engaging activities promoting RG. With the help of our sales team, we are promoting:
A new Play Smart terminal button retailers can use to share Play Smart.
An incentive-based quiz for retailers to take and test their knowledge on our Play Smart program.
Our other PGAM efforts include:
Omnichannel Play Smart messaging, weekly Play Smart earn activities though our player loyalty platform.
A social media promotion featuring an educational crossword.
Oregon Lottery
Krystal Smith
Responsible Gaming/Safer Play Program Manager
For many years, Oregon Lottery and the Oregon Health Authority have come together to promote Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM). This partnership includes jointly sponsoring a statewide Governor's Proclamation for PGAM. Individual counties/townships also establish their own proclamations.
In addition to that, when it comes to media strategy, the Oregon Lottery has an "always on" approach around Safer Play gambling and marketing outreach. We also promote awareness during PGAM in a number of ways that include:
Robust digital media, public relations, social media, and advertising outreach.
Mandatory Retailer Safer Play (RG) Training launches every year during PGAM.
PGAM reminders included in the quarterly Retailer Newsletter.
Content provided to Oregon Lottery employees throughout the month via Teams page.
Oregon Health Authority prevention coordinators conduct activities around the state helping educate Oregonians about gambling and how to find free counseling and other resources available.
Pennsylvania Lottery
Diana Dietz
Deputy Communications Director
During Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM) and throughout the year, the Pennsylvania Lottery is committed to raising awareness about problem gambling and, more importantly, providing tools and resources to players who may be affected by gambling-related harms. Throughout March, the Lottery will share PGAM messages across its social media platforms and feature billboard and television ads to remind players about the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline.
The Lottery will also remind its network of nearly 10,000 retailer partners across the state to monitor all Lottery vending units for underage play and share information with them on recognizing the warning signs of problem gambling and available services.
Additionally, the Lottery will join its responsible gambling partners at the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), and the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania, Inc. (CCGP), to host a joint press conference at the Pennsylvania State Capitol on Wednesday, February 26, to officially launch PGAM in Pennsylvania. The group will also host a PGAM information table at the Capitol on Wednesday, March 26. Finally, on Thursday, March 27, a webinar titled “State of the State: Addressing Problem Gambling in Pennsylvania” will be held, providing an opportunity for each organization to discuss their efforts to address and prevent problem gambling.
Virginia Lottery
John Hagerty
Senior Public Affairs Specialist
Here in Virginia, we’re deploying several assets for March, including a new PSA titled “Know Your Limits” for TV and radio, outdoor billboards promoting the Virginia Problem Gambling Helpline, a strong paid media and social media campaign, an employee webinar, and much more.
Wyoming Lottery
Robin Medina
Chief Operations Officer
We will be doing several activities as part of WyoLotto’s plan through the Responsible Gambling Planning Verification from NASPL and NCPG (National Council on Problem Gambling). First, because March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month, we will run an awareness campaign in partnership with the Wyoming Responsible Gambling Coalition. The campaign promotes gambling responsibly through fun illustrations of what happens when you have too much of a good thing. The campaign will run statewide on billboards, newspapers, radio, digital and social channels. Also, we will be reaching out to our players and retailers directly with social and email reminders about how to play responsibly, what to do if you think you have a problem and to be educated on the risks involved.
PGAM 2025
Seeking Understanding
The 2025 Problem Gambling Awareness Month theme, “Seeking Understanding,” focuses on increasing awareness of problem gambling as a serious but often misunderstood mental health condition. By fostering a deeper understanding of the issue, we can encourage empathy, reduce barriers to treatment, and provide support to those affected by gambling-related harm.
PGAM Goals:
To increase public awareness of problem gambling and the availability of prevention, treatment and recovery services.
To encourage healthcare providers to screen clients for problem gambling.
Problem Gambling Awareness Month 2025 Promotional Toolkit
To facilitate your PGAM promotion efforts, NCPG has compiled a toolkit with key resources: problem gambling FAQs, best practices for social media, a press release template and more.
Gambling Disorder Screening Day is Tuesday, March 11, 2025
To make screening for gambling disorder easier and more effective, NCPG has partnered with the Cambridge Health Alliance Division on Addiction, which has developed a free Gambling Disorder Screening Day Toolkit.
This year’s Screening Day Toolkit has even more free resources to make hosting Screening Day easier than ever. Any provider or organization can host. Registration is not required to use these free resources.
If you are interested in becoming a registered host this year, email info@divisiononaddiction.org.
Problem Gambling Awareness Month Proclamations
Please email your PGAM proclamations to Media@NCPGambling.org.
How to Participate
Hold a conference on problem gambling.
Air public service announcements.
Provide counselor trainings.
Host a Problem Gambling Screening Day event.
Run social media campaigns.
And more!
For some people, participating in PGAM is as simple as having a conversation. Making sure that your friends and family are aware of the problem gambling resources in your community is a great first step.
Questions?
Contact Cait Huble,
NCPG Director of Communications