Problem Gambling Funding Level Until Expansion
When state officials crafted a deal to legalize gambling in upstate New York, they included a measure that would require casinos to pay $500 for each slot machine or table game to help combat problem gambling.
But while having a dedicated funding stream to prevent and treat gambling addiction was hailed as a positive development, some experts and lawmakers say that existing programs have been underfunded for years and that more investment is needed now.
“We do not have the infrastructure to handle everything currently,” said James Maney, the executive director of the New York Council on Problem Gambling. “There are some areas of New York State where there aren’t any state-funded treatment programs. We do not have enough education, we don’t have enough awareness, we don’t have enough research being done currently and we don’t have enough services for folks.”
Earlier this year when Gov. Andrew Cuomo put out his executive budget proposal, Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz said that it “falls alarmingly short” in addressing compulsive gambling. Cymbrowitz, who chairs the Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, took aim at the flat spending for the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), which funds programs to treat people with gambling addictions.
With state budget negotiations now coming to a close, the assemblyman was resigned to the conclusion that there would be no additional dollars until full-fledged casinos open for business in upstate New York, something that will take months, if not years.
“I was hoping that we would be able to get it, but there’s nothing in the budget,” Cymbrowitz said. “I had hoped that we would do that, but, as with many programs, there just isn’t enough money to go around.”
Mark Gearan, the new chairman of the state’s Gaming Commission, seems to have taken notice, although he has not yet waded into questions of funding. In his first board meeting earlier this month, he said that problem gambling was a “personal interest” and an “important issue” that the commission should spend more time exploring. Gearan, the president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, said he became aware of the issue while preparing for his Senate confirmation and realized it would be a factor in the commission’s decision to issue or renew licenses.
“So, given this responsibility, it seems to me that it would make sense for the commission to be proactive in this arena,” he said, suggesting that the commission hold a forum to discuss ways to improve prevention and treatment efforts.
The state does have an apparatus in place to combat problem gambling. In addition to the services rendered by the treatment providers around the state, OASAS coordinates with the New York Council on Problem Gambling to ensure that the state’s racetrack casinos and lottery ticket vendors comply with regulations pertaining to problem gambling. Its efforts also include educating the public about the warning signs of gambling addiction and publicizing a help line. Beyond setting aside $500 per table or slot machine each year, which could yield a projected $4.7 million annually, the new legislation also requires those companies awarded a casino license to create comprehensive problem gambling programs and to put policies in place to bar addicts.
But experts say that more investment is needed. Nearly a million New Yorkers have been identified as problem gamblers, according to an OASAS study cited by Cymbrowitz’s committee, while 5 percent of adults and 10 percent of students in grades 7 through 12 have experienced problem gambling behavior. At the same time, the Internet has made gambling far more accessible, especially for young people, and poker games and sports betting have become widely popular. More and more casinos have popped up in neighboring states and across New York, including Resorts World Casino New York City, which has quickly become the most lucrative slots establishment in the country.
Yet during the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009, outreach efforts and treatment programs nationwide were cut back, and funding has not been restored in New York. Despite the millions of dollars in profits at the state’s existing racetrack casinos and the massive windfall they provide for the state, New York reportedly provided only $1 million to treat problem gambling in 2012. According to figures posted by the Association of Problem Gambling Service Administrators (APGSA), the state now sets aside $1.58 million a year. A study by APGSA and the National Council on Problem Gambling shows that New York is well below the national average on per capita allocation of problem gambling services. The influx of cash from new casinos will improve New York’s standing, although expansion is likely to increase the number of problem gamblers as well.
“Being in this field for so long, we know when you have gambling, you have problem gambling, and every time you have expansion—new opportunities, new availabilities— you’re going to have more problems,” Maney said. “To me it makes sense that we start addressing that.”
The state, which once had 41 prevention programs, has shifted its approach in recent years by training staff at 187 providers around the state that already deal with drug or alcohol problems. The move did not add any dollars, but state officials say it increased availability.
“Not a lot of states are doing a lot of great work—and, really, it usually comes only when there’s no expansion,” Maney said. “As compared to everybody else, New York is doing a great job. But in reality, there’s so much more we can do.”