Members of New York’s Responsible Play Partnership (RPP), comprised of the New York State Gaming Commission, New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substances Abuse Services (OASAS) and the New York Council on Problem Gambling today announced the launch of the second in a series of public service announcements (PSAs) aimed at educating the public about problem gambling and increasing awareness of related prevention and treatment options available to New Yorkers in need.
The new PSA reminds New Yorkers that “some gifts are better left to the grown-ups.” The point is made clear with visuals of bewildered children opening gifts clearly meant for older adults such as a set of tires and a coffee maker.
The TV PSA, available in 15- and 30-second formats, will begin airing Black Friday, November 27.
The accompanying radio PSA is available at
New York State Gaming Commission Executive Director Robert Williams said, “We are committed to working collaboratively with the National Council on Problem Gambling and with other lotteries around the world to share the message that lottery tickets should not be purchased as holiday gifts for children.”
New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez said, “Research has shown that the sooner a child begins to gamble, the more likely that child is to develop problem gambling issues in later life. This PSA serves as a reminder that by giving Lottery tickets to children at holiday time and throughout the rest of the year, you may be putting a child at risk.”
New York Council on Problem Gambling Executive Director Jim Maney said, “We support the ongoing collaborative efforts of the RPP to promote responsible gambling messaging year-round. I believe this and other efforts being developed by the RPP are truly helping to educate New Yorkers on this important issue.”
The Gift Responsibly statewide effort highlights the RPP’s mission to advance the public discussion about problem gambling in New York. The holiday PSA follows on the heels of an earlier production entitled “Too Much to Lose” that showcased New York’s free addiction referral HOPEline (1-877-8HOPE-NY) administered by OASAS.
The “Too Much to Lose” PSA ran more than 4,700 times statewide through the month of August. Both PSAs complement the RPP’s ground-breaking “Let’s Start the Conversation” regional forums, which served to bring together all of the State’s gaming operators, responsible gaming representatives, and problem gambling prevention and treatment providers on a region-by-region basis to develop a more coordinated responsible gaming infrastructure to support the unprecedented gaming expansion taking place in New York today.
The holiday effort in particular comes in response to a call from the National Council on Problem Gambling asking lotteries around the world to send a responsible gaming message regarding underage play during the holiday season.
