DC Lottery Recognizes March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month and Reminds Players of Available Resources and Support
Washington, D.C. – The DC Lottery recognizes March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM). PGAM is dedicated to increasing public awareness of problem gambling as a critical public health issue and highlighting the availability of prevention, treatment, and recovery services.
DC Lottery is committed to offering gaming safely and responsibly and has tools to help. Players who feel they have a gambling problem can access free, confidential support by phone (1-800-426-2537), text (800GAM), or chat. Furthermore, players can establish time and deposit limits when playing online. The Lottery also offers a self-exclusion program that allows players to voluntarily request exclusion from legalized gaming activities within the District for eighteen months, three years, five years, or lifetime. Self-exclusion information is available on dclottery.com and at retail locations.
All DC Lottery staff receive annual training to reinforce their commitment to responsible gaming, and ‘Play Responsibly’ training is conducted online for DC Lottery retailers.
The Lottery also offers a downloadable ‘Play Responsibly’ Help Is Here If You Need It brochure with tips on spotting common signs of a gambling problem and groups that can provide additional support.
“Responsible growth is a core value that guides our daily efforts,” said DC Lottery Executive Director Frank Suarez. “We are dedicated to ensuring that players in the District are aware of the signs of problem gambling, as well as the tools and resources readily available to assist them. While our problem gambling efforts happen year-round, March gives us a special opportunity to demonstrate this core value at work in our organization.”
By law, players must be 18 or older to play DC Lottery games, and online players must be located within the District of Columbia to play online. The “know your customer” (KYC) process has identification and verification requirements to ensure online account holders are at least 18.
This month, District-wide problem gambling awareness efforts are recognized on social media using the #PGAM2024 hashtag.
For more information about problem gambling and to find resources, visit dclottery.com/player-resources/play-responsibly.
