“Commitment to responsible gambling is ultimately about company culture,” states Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, as he examines a number of key issues amid the ongoing Problem Gambling Awareness Week.
Now in its nineteenth year, the 2021 iteration sees the Washington DC-based non-profit target a pair of goals, those being an increase in the public awareness of problem gambling and encouraging healthcare providers to screen clients for gambling problems.
The initiative takes place during the month of March Madness, an annual NCAA basketball tournament that sees over $8bn wagered on its games and which forms the backdrop that the NCPG, and its partners across the country, aim to leverage to help raise awareness and create action for those suffering from gambling problems.
To begin the conversation, Whyte kicks things off by elaborating on the theme of PGAM 2021, as well as ongoing hopes of achievement: “The theme of Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM) is Awareness + Action. The theme reflects our goal to 1) raise public awareness of problem gambling and 2) to encourage healthcare providers to screen for gambling problems.