New York state has opened two new facilities for the treatment of problem gambling, the first of several to be operated with funding from the state’s commercial casinos.
The two centers, which will serve the Finger Lakes region and the northeast of the state, based, respectively, in Rochester and Albany.
Centers also are planned for New York City, Long Island, central and western New York and the mid-Hudson region, paid for through the annual licensing fees the four commercial casinos pay on each of their gaming tables and slot machines.
The centers are administered by the N.Y. Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Centers and operated by the New York Council on Problem Gambling, which was awarded $3.3 million over three years for that purpose.
In conjunction with the facilities the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services has launched a media campaign in areas around the casinos: Resorts World Catskills, Rivers Casino in Schenectady, del Lago Resort & Casino in the Finger Lakes and Tioga Downs on the Pennsylvania border near Binghamton.
The campaign, titled “You’re Not Alone,” includes billboards, posters in convenience stores and nearby treatment centers and ads on public buses. There are also digital components, including streaming video, mobile desktop displays and ads on search engines. A public service announcement in both English and Spanish will air on the radio.
