COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — With a start date of Jan. 1, Ohio is about to undergo a big change — residents will soon be able to place bets legally on sporting events through in-person and online sportsbooks.
The state government — as well as other local health and nonprofit agencies — provide a number of resources for Ohioans who may think they have a gambling problem, on sports or otherwise. Some of those resources include:
- Ohio Problem Gambling Hotline: 1 (800) 589-9966 or live chat
- National Gambling Hotline: 1 (800) 522-4700
- Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services: (614) 466-2596 or www.mha.ohio.gov
- National Council on Problem Gambling: (202) 547-9204
- Gambler’s Anonymous: http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/ga/: Gambler’s Anonymous offers a directory of local meetings, virtual meetings, and hotlines for people who struggle with problem gambling.
- Gam-Anon: https://www.gam-anon.org/: Gam-Anon offers a list of meetings, as well as resources for family members of problem gamblers.
- Ohio Lottery: Keep it Fun Ohio campaign
- Pause Before You Play and Get Set Before You Bet campaigns: The Pause Before You Play informational campaign is a sports betting offshoot of the Get Set Before You Bet campaign, both created by Ohio for Responsible Gambling. They highlight resources for people who might be struggling with problem gambling, including:
- Educational resources for ways to gamble healthily, such as setting time and money limits and knowing the risk factors
- Addiction signs, such as someone lying about their gambling habits or getting restless or irritable when they aren’t gambling
- A quiz gauging problem gambling risk factors