An advisory committee aiming to help Virginia handle gambling addiction is taking lessons from other states as the Commonwealth rapidly embraces the once-taboo practice.
“These people were not prepared,” University of Memphis gambling researcher James Whelan said, describing the results of a secret shopper survey of several Tennessee casinos he was presenting to Virginia’s Problem Gambling Treatment & Support Advisory Committee Tuesday morning.
Whelan said both in person and over-the-phone support staff at casinos failed to provide help for problem gamblers after they asked for it.
“No one said I don’t know this answer but let me get your information and I’ll get it to you,” he said.
Problem gambling, or gambling addiction, is one of the most dangerous forms of addiction, with thoughts or attempts of suicide among the most frequent outcomes.
Gambling in Virginia generates hundreds of millions in revenue from the state’s casinos, online, sports betting, horse racing and other gaming options. A small portion of that goes to localities and the state puts an even smaller portion toward problem gambling resources through the state’s department of behavioral health.
VCU professor Carolyn Hawley heads up the problem gambling advisory committee. One idea she took from Tuesday's meeting was to put state-funded support staff on site at gambling parlors.
“They’d be there to assist with those questions and could maybe get people the support they need and would be less likely, or more reluctant, to share with a casino employee,” Hawley said.
But the researcher said funding for problem gambling was already too little and she hopes whatever future tax dollars Virginia legislators hope to collect can build up support resource coffers too.
“We’re asking for peanuts, and we get crumbs,” she said.
An overhaul of the state’s gambling systems stalled during the last legislative session, but its future will be discussed at an August legislative meeting.
In a phone call Delegate Paul Krizek, the chief House patron of the recent 2024 gambling commission effort, said whatever the future of gaming in Virginia is, it needs to be able to respond to a changing landscape.
“Right now, we’re still facing a fragmented process that lacks proper oversight,” Krizek told Radio IQ in an interview after the advisory meeting. “It leads to regulatory inconsistencies and consumer confusion. The gaming commission is urgently needed.”
Among floating issues is the future of skill games, an industry-desired casino in Northern Virginia that faced public backlash, and a more organized structure for administering all gambling rules and laws.
And while Republican Senator Bryce Reeves is still involved in developing the bill, Krizek said Petersburg Senator Aird will take over as the Senate Chief patron in the Senate.
"I'm looking forward to tying up loose ends, ensuring that the bill is ready for primetime," Aird told Radio IQ.
"As active as the gaming community is now, we can't go another year without a comprehensive gaming commission," she added.
“It’s still a team effort, but Aird has already hit the ground running, and she’ll bring a fresh perspective,” Krizek added.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
