Virginia legalized sports betting, and casino gambling for some cities, in 2020. Since then, demand for help with gambling addiction has ballooned. A statewide initiative launched treatment services in 2022 to help people struggling with problem gambling. WMRA’s Ayse Pirge reports.
CAROLYN HAWLEY: People often don’t think of gambling as being a risky behavior. Not like they do with alcohol and substances.
You could say that Carolyn Hawley is an expert on gambling addiction. She’s a professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Counseling at Virginia Commonwealth University, the executive director of the Virginia Partnership for Gambling and Health, or VPGH, and the president of the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling.
HAWLEY: And what we’re finding too is that for many individuals, especially when we’re talking about sports wagering in young people, they have access to these commercials 24/7. It’s so normalized.
VPGH, a non-profit serving the state, launched its treatment services in 2022. It receives a portion of the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund, which is paid for through a percentage of the taxes collected from casinos and sports betting operators as well as other sources. The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services oversees the fund.
Hawley says that part of what they do at VPGH includes operating the state’s Problem Gambling Helpline, which they took over in 2017.
HAWLEY: And when we did so, I knew people at the time were not getting connected into treatment. And so, I assumed, being from a counseling program, and having thousands of alumni, that we would be better equipped to get people into treatment services.
She says that when the Fund was developed, they were asked to help develop–
HAWLEY: A process or a program where we could get people quickly into treatment and recovery services. We believed that with gambling expansion, that we would see more people developing problems. And we also knew that we had this huge onslaught of individuals who for years were never able to get treatment in the state of Virginia.
She says they developed the Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health to provide care throughout the state, and also do workforce development. Hawley says they are able to pay for services if people reaching out don’t have the means.
VPGH’s partnership reported a 36% increase in demand in early 2026 over the same period last year.
HAWLEY: You know, I think there’s a couple of things happening. Part of the increase is certainly awareness. We are working really hard in Virginia to make sure people know that help is available. And also to make it easier to connect with treatment and recovery services.
Hawley says that in some ways, seeing more people reach out is a positive sign. But she says we can’t assume the increased demand is only due to more awareness.
HAWLEY: We have to acknowledge that gambling related problems may also be increasing. And we know the gambling environment has changed dramatically here in Virginia in a very short period of time.
The data show that the highest percentage group seeking help is 35 to 44-year-olds.
But Hawley also points to another vulnerable demographic group.
HAWLEY: Even though we spend a lot of time talking about younger populations and gambling, because that’s what we’re seeing with this big growth. We’re not spending as much talking about another group that’s also at risk, and that’s our older adults.
One of the research projects they are working on at VPGH focuses on older adults, and Hawley says they partnered with the Virginia Center of Aging at VCU, as well as colleagues at Virginia Tech.
HAWLEY: So, we’re looking at that population, so we can better cater awareness and treatment efforts towards them, as well as understanding how older adults are gambling now, in this world where there’s 24(-hour) access.
Matt Britt is a certified peer support specialist with a focus on problem gambling, as well the Region 1 Coordinator for VPGH, which covers cities including Harrisonburg and Charlottesville. A peer support specialist is someone with lived experience in and recovery from challenges such as substance use disorder, among others. Britt is also a person living in recovery. If a person living in Virginia calls 1-800-GAMBLER, Britt says they will be directed to VPGH.
MATT BRITT: And once somebody is referred to us, we chat with them about, you know, kind of what’s going on, and access whatever kind of support they’re looking for. And connect them with the appropriate resources.
Regardless of age, those needing help can get it from a network of trained peer support specialists. There is also support for loved ones, and financial counseling, and a free one year subscription to—
LISA COCHRAN: Blocking software that restricts your ability to access any gambling sites or apps.
Lisa Cochran is the Region 2 Coordinator for VPGH, which covers Northern Virginia. And she serves the whole state as a peer recovery specialist. She is also herself in long-term recovery.
COCHRAN: I think what makes our program so great and unique is that it is peers, it is people in recovery that are the first contact for someone.
Adam, who asked to be identified by first name only, lives in Botetourt County. He received help for problem gambling through 1-800 GAMBLER and was referred to VPGH. He says he has been in recovery since February.
ADAM: We joked about 1-800 GAMBLER almost every day. It’s a commonly known number and resource, that it ends up being jokes, but who knows how many of those jokes were actually… We're joking to each other but we’re secretly suffering.
But his gambling problems were no joke.
ADAM: I was like six months behind mortgage, I was in act of foreclosure… it was getting to the point where I was pawning things to buy groceries.
He says having a peer recovery specialist and going to peer recovery meetings helped him.
ADAM: And the therapy they provided has been life saving. So, my two favorite things were peer recovery specialists, who I still talk to, and my therapist, which is free. Which is an awesome resource. I don’t think a lot of people realize that once you call that number, you’ll have free therapy.
While Adam is really fond of VPGH, he is not happy with the more lenient direction Virginia is taking toward gambling. In March this year, two bills that would have further legalized gambling in the state through regulated online casinos failed to pass from conference.
Political donations from the Sports Betting Alliance – which lobbies for regulated online sports betting and online gaming – totaled more than $3 million in Virginia between 2025 and 2026.
ADAM: But I think that Virginia is going the opposite way. They just keep pushing for more and more.
That worries him because he says that gambling addiction is–
ADAM: As dangerous as being a drug addict. And it’s as destructive in homes and families and most of the time you don’t know somebody is suffering until they’ve lost everything.
