Kentucky is nearing the end of its first year of legal sports betting. The state has started a new program to deal with the possible increase in gambling problems. Some of the tax money from sports bets now goes to the Problem Gambling Assistance Fund. This fund aims to boost awareness and train health workers to handle gambling issues effectively.
$324M Revenue Sparks New Funding for Gambling Awareness and Healthcare Training
After Kentucky made sports betting legal in 2023, the state has raked in over $324 million in adjusted gross revenue, which has an impact on tax dollars to the tune of $46 million. The state pension fund gets most of this money, but 2.5% goes to the assistance fund. The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services oversees this fund, which started taking applications for its two main programs in October 2024. These programs give out money to run public awareness campaigns and to train healthcare workers to spot and treat people with gambling problems.
Even though money is available, people are not showing much interest in healthcare training. Lisa Lee Williams, who serves as Chief of Staff for the cabinet, mentioned that they have gotten applications for public awareness projects, but no one has applied for healthcare training, as reported by Louisville Public Media. She stressed how important it is to look at yearly funding amounts before promising anything for any projects.
Groups like the Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling (KYCPG) are looking into ways to use this money. Mike Stone, who runs KYCPG, shared that they plan to ask for help with their yearly education and awareness meeting as well as programs to train counselors. In 2024, the council trained 20 people to become certified gambling addiction counselors and wants to do more next year.
Young Men Outnumber Older Adults in Seeking Gambling Issues Support
Sports betting’s popularity has caused a clear uptick in calls to the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline run by RiverValley Behavioral Health in Owensboro. Numbers show that monthly call totals have climbed since betting became legal pointing to a greater demand for easy-to-access help.
KYCPG President RonSonLyn Clark, also a certified gambling counselor, has seen big shifts in who is asking for help. In the past older adults made up most of the clients, but now young men top the list. Clark thinks this change stems from sportsbooks’ hard-sell ads and deals often including tempting offers like no-cost play money.
To fight the growing addiction problem, KYCPG is trying new methods, like using peer support specialists — people who have beaten gambling addiction themselves — to help others recover. Clark stressed the need to get a workforce ready to handle more treatment requests as sports betting becomes a bigger part of Kentucky’s culture.Kentucky wants to find a middle ground between making money from sports betting and dealing with its downsides.
