The Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission (CLGC) has approved its first distribution of award money to combat problem gambling in the state.
The commission picked five projects from three organizations: the Kindbridge Research Institute, the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health, and the Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado. The projects cover counselor training and certification programs, research on problem gambling in the state, a program to make college students more aware of gambling issues, and a social marketing campaign on gambling addiction.
The CLGC said it had approved distribution of roughly $1.57 million in awards.
Dedicated grant program provides funds
March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month. The commission was following instructions laid out in House Bill 22-1402, which was signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis last June and established the Responsible Gaming Grant Program.
“We would be ignoring the obvious if we did not accept that the largely positive experience of gaming in Colorado does not, amongst its participants, have some who are negatively impacted by their participation,” said CLGC Chairman Richard Nathan in a press release. “The legislature has recognized, and our commission prioritized, public education and treatment options, including training certified counselors to help individuals and families. Our actions this month are just the beginning of our efforts to recognize that there is such a thing as problem gaming and to address mitigating its negative impact.’
Peggy Brown of the Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado is a frequent attendee of commission meetings and her organization was the recipient of three of the funding awards, which are awarded by the Division of Gaming.
The committee approved the grants for one year. Recipients will present their evaluation findings to the commission at the end of the grant period. More information on the grants can be found at the Division of Gaming’s website.
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