Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health Joins the 2024 Gift Responsibly Campaign

Virginia is home to many of our best sports betting sites, and as markets continue to grow, so too does attention to responsible gaming.

The Virginia Commonwealth University’s Partnership for Gaming & Health (VPGH) has announced its participation in the 2024 , which is led by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) with support from the North American Association of State & Provincial Lotteries (NASPL). 

The VPGH joins a number of lotteries and organizations worldwide that have already announced their commitment to the campaign, including the Virginia Lottery, the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC), and DraftKings.

Jennifer Davis-Walton, VPGH Director of Gambling Services, commented: “In the last year, VPGH has helped nearly 600 people connect with recovery support for problem gambling. Our providers have seen firsthand how problem gambling can impact a person’s emotional, physical, and financial well-being, as well as their relationships with friends and family. That’s why we’re joining the Gift Responsibly Campaign to share these risks and ensure people can access the support they need.”

“The potential long-term risks associated with underage gambling exposure cannot be understated,” added the NCPG’s Executive Director Keith Whyte. “We applaud VPGH for their commitment to raising awareness about the risks of youth gambling and for working to educate the community that lottery tickets are never appropriate gifts for children.”

Founded in the early 2000s, the campaign aims to raise awareness of the dangers of youth gambling and the risks of buying lottery tickets for children during the holiday season. It also seeks to promote responsible gambling practices for those of legal age. 

More about the campaign

The Gift Responsibly campaign will run from November through the end of December. It offers multiple levels of engagement to ensure organizations of all sizes can participate. This tactic is clearly working, as 100% of all eligible US and Canadian lotteries have participated over the last five years. More than 150 organizations participated in the campaign last year.

At Level 1, participants must register, issue a press release about the campaign and its goals, post at least four educational messages on social media, and complete the post-campaign survey. Non-lottery participants like DraftKings, IGT, Scientific Games, and Lotto.com are also involved at this level.

The same is required of Level 2 participants, who must post at least eight messages to social media in total. Additionally, these organizations will need to conduct retailer training about the risks of youth gambling and run targeted adverts on the matter. These organizations include but are not limited to, the DC Lottery, Missouri Lottery, Allwyn UK, and Premier Lotteries Ireland.

The Colorado Lottery, Virginia Lottery, and the NYSGC are among the list of operators participating at Level 3. At this level, participants will need to meet all the same requirements as Level 2. However, at least 11 social media posts are required of these companies. They will also need to run a commercial or digital campaign on the TV, radio, or web, for instance, and pitch an editorial to the media about the importance of not gifting lottery tickets to children.