Louisiana Lottery Observes National Problem Gambling Awareness Month

During the month of March, the Louisiana Lottery Corporation joins the Louisiana Department of Health’s Office of Behavioral Health (OBH), the Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling (LACG) and the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) in educating the public about the signs of problem gambling and stressing the importance of responsbile gaming. 

The NCPG’s campaign theme “Awareness + Action” encourages people to have conversations about problem gambling with their loved ones and to get the help if they need it. The Lottery supports that message by providing educational literature at its retailer play centers and including the problem gambling helpline number on its tickets, advertising, news releases and sales materials.

“Louisiana Lottery games are designed to be fun and entertaining. We are determined to help our players keep our games that way by stressing the importance of playing responsibly and promoting the state’s resources for those who may have a gambling problem,” said Lottery President Rose Hudson.

Playing responsibly means:

• Gambling only for fun.
• Setting a dollar limit and sticking to it.
• Thinking of the money spent as the cost of entertainment.
• Accepting losing as part of the game.
• Never borrowing money to gamble.
• Not allowing gambling to interfere with relationships with family, friends or work.
• Never gambling to win back losses.
• Not gambling as a way to cope with emotional or physical pain.
   

“Throughout the year, we encourage players to adhere to responsible play techniques, but we take a special opportunity to focus on that message during this national observance,” Hudson added.

The Lottery also supports OBH in coordination with the Bureau of Media and Communication with their social media campaign #AddictionRecoveryLA and encourages those who may have a gambling problem to contact the state Helpline number, 1-877-770-STOP (7867), which is operated by the Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling.

The first $500,000 in Lottery proceeds each year are dedicated to funding problem gambling assistance, like the Helpline, managed through the Louisiana Department of Health-Office of Behavioral Health.

More responsible play and problem gambling information and resources can be found on the Lottery’s website, as well as the Office of Behavioral Health’s Addictive Disorders Services, the LACG  and the NCPG websites.