Florida gambling helpline under pressure as state funding dries up

Cost-cutting seems to be the new way of doing things in the new administration, and Florida is no exception.

The GOP-controlled state has on the face of it withdrawn funding for the main gambling helpline which is experiencing an influx of calls, emails and live chat requests as sports betting proliferation, ushered in by the accessibility of sports betting, as championed by Hard Rock Bet.

Florida’s main gambling helpline reduced to funding from a sole party

With Florida not helping to fund the helpline anymore - The Florida Gaming Control Commission said the Council refused a new contract to fund the helpline - the issue that the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling is facing has to do with the immediate increase in people looking for help.

According to the organization, in 2024, which was the first calendar year with a fully regulated sports betting app, a total of 63,000 people reached out for help.

This number, albeit not too big, is double the number from 2023. A total of 170 calls, texts, and live chats are processed every day as the helpline’s staff of several people tries to keep these efforts going. The 888-ADMIT-IT-HELPLINE contacts have been released on an annual basis, with things beginning to pick up steadily over the past years ,but a dramatic increase only registered in 2024:

• 2020: 19,167
• 2021: 25,884
• 2022: 26,569
• 2023: 33,246
• 2024: 62,753

Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling Executive Director Jennifer Kruse has said that things are challenging for the team, which operates round-the-clock and all year round. At this point, mused Kruse speaking to a media outlet, the organization would need probably 30 people to handle the influx of help requests.

With state aid not available anymore – or at least for the time being - Kruse says the organization has to rely on funding from the Seminole Tribe of Florida exclusively as of right now, as it’s the only source for running the crucial service.

Florida’s gambling regulator did not want to sever ties with the helpline

Kruse acknowledged that the Council had to decline the state’s offer for new funding because certain conditions – such as keeping records demands from the commission – were proving impossible to meet.

To illustrate this point, Kruse sent News 6, a media outlet which did extensive reporting into the matter, binders with physical paperwork taller than Kruse herself. In the meantime, the FloridaGaming Control Commission is looking for a new partner to administer help with state funding.

Image credit: Unsplash.com