Future of 1-800-GAMBLER helpline still in doubt amid legal battle in New Jersey
The New Jersey Superior Court issued a temporary restraining order in favour of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG).
US.- The US gambling helpline 1-800-GAMBLER has become submerged in a legal battle in New Jersey. The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), which runs the helpline nationally is in dispute with the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, from which it licences the number.
The number is the the national helpline for problem gambling in the US with 28 contact centres covering all 50 states and US territories, but some states continue to operate their own hotlines, leading to a fragmented system.
Under a three-year licence agreement signed in 2022, the NCPG was allowed to use the number with autonomy over the service provided and how calls were routed. It paid CCGNJ $150,000 annually while building a national call-routing infrastructure.
The agreement expired on May 31 and was temporarily extended until July 15. However, there was a disagreement over the terms for a longer extension. In a lawsuit filed in Mercer County Superior Court, NCPG said it intended to extend the contract but that CCGNJ had ignored attempts to initiate arbitration.
New Jersey Superior Court has now issued a temporary restraining order favouring the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) and blocking the CCGNJ from interfering with the control over the helpline. Signed by Judge Douglas H. Hurd, it orders that CCGNJ be “enjoined and restrained from any direct or indirect action that alters or deviates from the status quo with respect to Plaintiff’s use of the Helpline Number.”
The order protects the continuation of the helpline service until August 26, when two parties are due to appear in court on the matter, leaving the future of the hotline still in doubt.
