ialottery blog

Messages Of Help & Hope During National Problem Gambling Awareness Month

During the next week, you’ll see messages on a variety of platforms to remind us all that it’s National Problem Gambling Awareness Month. Our hope is that the right information will be provided at the right time to someone who needs it.

Whether you’re watching TV, driving in the car with the radio on, surfing the web or using an audio- or video-streaming service, you’ll likely see one of the public service announcements we’ve produced in conjunction with the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Our 2019 campaign begins during Sunday’s 10 p.m. local newscasts, when our PSA will be aired by television stations statewide. Then throughout the coming week, our PSA messages will be shown on outdoor billboards and local broadcast and cable channels; streamed on digital audio and video platforms; and aired by radio stations statewide. While the bulk of our campaign will occur during the coming week, some messages will continue to air through the end of March.           

March is National Problem Gambling Awareness Month, and we want you to have the conversation if you have a concern about problem gambling.

Remember that problem gamblers come from any background. They can be rich or poor, young or old, male or female. Problem gambling can affect people of every race and religion, and every education and income level. The one constant is that problem gambling is treatable.

Signs of problem gambling include:

• thinking a lot about gambling, such as past gambling experiences, future gambling ventures, or ways of getting money for gambling.
• needing to gamble with larger amounts of money or with larger bets in order to get the same feeling of excitement.
• repeatedly trying to cut down or stop gambling without success.
• feeling restless or irritable when trying to cut down or stop gambling.
• gambling to run away from problems or to get relief from feeling depressed, anxious, or bad about yourself.
• often returning after gambling losses to try to win back money.
• lying to family members, friends or others in order to hide gambling activities from them.
• losing or almost losing a significant relationship, job, or an educational or career opportunity because of gambling.
• relying on others to provide money to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling.

If you ever have questions or concerns about problem gambling, visit https://yourlifeiowa.org to learn about the help available by phone, in person, or through secure chat or video.

Gentle Reminder: Is That The Right Gift?

With the holiday season underway, we offer a reminder as you’re shopping for gifts in the next few weeks.

We know that lottery tickets will be among the items that people buy to give as presents and put in stockings. And here at the Iowa Lottery, we’re all for having fun! But please remember that our tickets – while colorful, entertaining and affordable – may not be something you want to give to those underage.

That’s true for other products as well. Some video games and movies may not be appropriate for all ages because of their content. Alcohol and tobacco-related products have their own age restrictions. Even toys have age-recommendation guidelines.        
 
In Iowa, you have to be at least 21 years old to buy lottery tickets, and we’ve always considered our products to be something for adults. After all, you are gambling when you play the lottery.
 
To minimize the risks associated with youth gambling, be sure to give youngsters age-appropriate gifts in general, and when you give lottery tickets as presents specifically, please keep the person's age in mind.
 
And as always, if you or someone you know is being impacted by problem gambling, help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 1-800-BETSOFF (1-800-238-7633) or visiting https://yourlifeiowa.org/gambling.

Problem Gambling Reminder: Help Is ALWAYS Available In Iowa

 

We highlight it at this time of year, but remember that help is available 24/7 here in Iowa if you ever have concerns about problem gaming.

March is National Problem Gambling Awareness Month. Over the course of the next few weeks, the public service announcement you see here will air statewide. We’re joining the Iowa Department of Public Health in reminding you to have the conversation if you have a concern about problem gambling.

Remember that problem gamblers come from many backgrounds. They can be rich or poor, young or old, male or female. Problem gambling can affect people of every race and religion, and every education and income level. The one constant is that problem gambling is treatable.

Signs of problem gambling include:
• Thinking a lot about gambling, such as past gambling experiences, future gambling ventures, or ways of getting money for gambling
• Needing to gamble with larger amounts of money or with larger bets in order to get the same feeling of excitement
• Repeatedly trying to cut down or stop gambling without success
• Feeling restless or irritable when trying to cut down or stop gambling
• Gambling to run away from problems or to get relief from feeling depressed, anxious, or bad about yourself
• Often returning after gambling losses to try to win back money
• Lying to family members, friends or others in order to hide gambling activities from them
• Losing or almost losing a significant relationship, job, or an educational or career opportunity because of gambling
• Relying on others to provide money to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling

If you ever have questions or concerns about problem gambling, visit https://yourlifeiowa.org/gambling to learn about the help available by phone, in person, or through secure chat or video.

We’ve received tremendous support from television stations, cable systems, radio stations and outdoor billboard companies that will run this month’s PSAs at no cost. We hope that by reaching out, we can get the right information at the right time to someone who needs it.

Remember That Help Is ALWAYS Available Here In Iowa For Problem Gambling

This is the time of year when we highlight it, but remember that help is always available – 24/7 here in Iowa – if you have concerns about problem gaming.

March is National Problem Gambling Awareness Month. You’ll see public service announcements this month from us here at the Lottery along with the Iowa Department of Public Health reminding folks to have the conversation about problem gambling. The goal is to provide awareness about the warning signs of problem gambling and the help you can find here in Iowa.

If you have questions or concerns about problem gambling, visit www.1800betsoff.org to learn more. Start the conversation with someone who cares by clicking on the website’s live chat feature or by calling 1-800-BETSOFF. It’s something you can do anytime.

We’ve received tremendous support from television stations, cable systems, radio stations and outdoor billboard companies that will be running this month’s PSAs at no cost. We hope that by reaching out, we can get the right information at the right time to someone who needs it.

Something To Consider: Is That Gift The ‘Right One’?

In the spirit of the holidays, we offer this thought bubble to keep in mind as you’re shopping for gifts in the next few weeks.

We know that lottery tickets will be among the items that people buy to give as presents and stuff in stockings. And we’re all for having fun! But here at the Iowa Lottery, we offer this gentle reminder that our tickets – while colorful, entertaining and affordable – may not be something you want to give to those underage.

The same holds true for other products. Some video games and movies may not be appropriate for all ages because of their content. Alcohol and tobacco-related products have their own age restrictions. Even toys have age-recommendation guidelines.         

In Iowa, you have to be at least 21 years old to buy lottery tickets, and we’ve always considered our products to be something for adults. Remember, you are gambling when you play the lottery.

The lottery offers these reminders to minimize the risks associated with youth gambling:

• Be sure to give youngsters age-appropriate gifts.
• When you give lottery tickets as presents, please keep the person's age in mind.

And as always, if you or someone you know is being impacted by problem gambling, help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 1-800-BETSOFF (1-800-238-7633) or visiting www.1800betsoff.org.

Now Can Be The Time To ‘Have The Conversation’

Public service announcements have begun running in Iowa this week, reminding all of us to “have the conversation” about problem gambling.

We produced the PSAs with the Iowa Department of Public Health to highlight that March is National Problem Gambling Awareness Month. The goal of the awareness effort is to educate the general public and health care professionals about the warning signs of problem gambling and raise awareness of the issue.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, know that help is available all across our state through the Iowa Gambling Treatment Program. Please call 1-800-BETSOFF or visit www.1800betsoff.org if you’re looking for more information. The hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

We’ve received tremendous support from television stations, cable systems, radio stations and outdoor billboard companies that have agreed to run the new PSAs at no cost. It’s our hope that this combined effort will provide the right information at the right time to someone in need.