FanDuel has launched a multi-platform responsible gaming campaign promoting sound gambling principles that can guard against problem gambling.
March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month, so FanDuel’s “Play Well” campaign launch is timed to coincide with other national efforts. Keith Whyte, the National Council on Problem Gambling’s (NCPG) executive director, said FanDuel’s new campaign is taking “meaningful steps” to keep gambling safe.
“The Play Well tools offer a common-sense, non-stigmatizing approach to responsible play and problem gambling prevention. This critical initiative not only offers vital consumer protections but actively encourages customers to use these tools regularly,” Whyte said in a FanDuel Press release. “We applaud FanDuel Group for taking meaningful steps, during Problem Gambling Awareness Month and all year long, to promote responsible gambling and address problem gambling nationwide.”
The campaign includes multi-platform advertisements, responsible-gaming tools in the FanDuel app, and a $100,000 donation to the NCPG.
FanDuel initiative features a responsible gaming “system”
Central to FanDuel’s Play Well campaign is a television public service announcement as well as responsible-gambling tools on the FanDuel online platform.
The TV spot, entitled “The System, can also be viewed on FanDuel’s social media channels. It features two men talking in a kitchen. One guy asks the other, a FanDuel user about his winning gaming system. After some jargony quips, the FanDuel user reveals his secret: using FanDuel’s responsible gaming tools to manage his play.
“That’s the system,” the man says.
“Hasn’t failed me yet,” the FanDuel user responds.
The responsible gaming tools mentioned in the commercial are three-fold: time limits, deposit limits, and wager limits. These limits can help promote responsible gaming, protecting bettors against the dangers of problem gambling.
Furthermore, FanDuel’s responsible gaming tools includes two key features for gamblers needing to step away from the app:
- A timeout feature that allows users to take a break for between three and 365 days
- A self-exclusion option that bars access to your FanDuel account for at least one year.
“We’re fully committed at FanDuel to developing useful tools and programs that make a difference in responsible gaming,” FanDuel Group Vice President of Responsible Gaming Adam Warrington said.
The problem gambling national social cost is $7 billion yearly
Two million adults in the United States have severe gambling problems, while another four to six million have mild to moderate gambling problems, according to the NCPG. As a result, the annual national social cost of problem gambling is estimated at around $7 billion, the NCPG notes.
Signs of problem gambling and where to go for help
The NCPG provides a detailed list of behaviors that indicate a bettor may be a problem gambler:
- Gambling behavior patterns that negatively affect your relationships and job
- A need to bet more money more often
- Chasing losses to try and break-even
- Irritability when trying to stop
At its worst, the NCPG notes, problem gambling can lead to financial disaster job losses, broken relationships, and self-harm.
The Cambridge Health Alliance hosts an annual Gambling Disorder Screening Day. Although the event was on March 8, their free self-assessment tool is available online.
If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling addiction, call or text the NCPG 24-hour confidential national hotline at 1-800-522-4700, or talk with an NCPG representative via chat at ncpgambling.org/chat.
