Responsible Gambling in New York — Help & Resources

If gambling has stopped being entertainment, help is available 24/7. This guide is the New York-specific resource page — the helplines, the self-exclusion processes, the warning signs, and the local treatment resources. It is meant to be useful both for the person who recognizes a problem in themselves and for the family member or friend trying to help someone they care about.

Recognizing the Warning Signs

The diagnostic criteria for gambling disorder (DSM-5) include nine specific behaviors. Meeting four or more in a 12-month period qualifies as gambling disorder. The criteria, translated to plain English:

1. Needing to gamble with larger amounts of money to achieve the same level of excitement (tolerance)
2. Being restless or irritable when trying to cut down or stop (withdrawal-like symptoms)
3. Repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop
4. Being preoccupied with gambling (thinking about past sessions, planning future ones, methods to get money)
5. Gambling when feeling distressed (depression, anxiety)
6. After losing, returning another day to try to "win it back" (chasing losses)
7. Lying to family members, therapists, or others to conceal the extent of gambling
8. Risking or losing significant relationships, jobs, education, or career opportunities because of gambling
9. Relying on others to provide money to relieve desperate financial situations caused by gambling

If you recognize four or more of these in yourself in the past year, or one of them seriously (the chasing-losses behavior is particularly diagnostic), please contact the NY HOPEline or OASAS. You will not be judged. The conversation is anonymous.

The PGSI Self-Assessment

The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) is a nine-question self-assessment. Score each question 0-3 based on the past 12 months:

• Past 12 months: how often have you bet more than you could afford to lose?
• Past 12 months: how often have you needed to gamble with larger amounts of money?
• Past 12 months: how often have you gone back to try to win back what you lost?
• Past 12 months: how often have you borrowed money or sold anything to get money to gamble?
• Past 12 months: how often have you felt you might have a problem with gambling?
• Past 12 months: how often have people criticized your betting or told you that you had a problem with gambling?
• Past 12 months: how often have you felt guilty about the way you gamble?
• Past 12 months: has gambling caused you health problems, including stress or anxiety?
• Past 12 months: has gambling caused financial problems for you or your household?

Scoring (0 = never, 1 = sometimes, 2 = most of the time, 3 = almost always):

• 0: No problem
• 1-2: Low risk
• 3-7: Moderate risk — consider reducing time/money spent on gambling, contact NY HOPEline for guidance
• 8+: Problem gambling — contact NY HOPEline and consider professional treatment

Self-Exclusion Programs

NY Gaming Commission Statewide Self-Exclusion

The New York State Gaming Commission maintains a voluntary statewide self-exclusion registry. Enrolling blocks you from all nine licensed mobile sportsbook accounts simultaneously, plus the four upstate commercial casinos. The tribal venues run separate self-exclusion programs (separate enrollment required).

Self-exclusion periods:

• 1 year (minimum)
• 3 years
• 5 years
• Permanent

Once enrolled, you cannot legally remove yourself before the term ends. The state's database is shared with all licensed operators in real-time. Attempting to wager while self-excluded results in forfeiture of any winnings.

Enroll at gaming.ny.gov or in person at the NYSGC office in Schenectady. You can also enroll through the NY HOPEline (1-877-846-7369) — they will walk you through the process.

Operator-Specific Self-Exclusion

Every licensed New York sportsbook offers operator-specific self-exclusion through the app:

• 72-hour time-out
• 30-day cooling-off
• 6 months / 1 year / 5 years
• Permanent

This is useful for someone who wants to step back temporarily without enrolling in the statewide registry.

Tribal Casino Self-Exclusion

Each tribal nation operates its own self-exclusion program for its venues. Enrollment is at the casino's responsible gambling office. The Seneca, Oneida, Mohawk, and Cayuga programs are not connected to each other or to the state registry — you may need to enroll separately at each venue.

Deposit Limits and Time Limits

Every licensed New York sportsbook allows users to set:

• Deposit limit (daily, weekly, monthly): The maximum dollar amount you can deposit in the period. Reducing the limit is instant; increasing it has a 24-hour cooling-off period.
• Wager limit: Maximum daily or weekly wagered amount.
• Loss limit: Maximum daily or weekly net loss.
• Session time limit: Maximum daily app usage time.
• Time-out: Temporary account freeze (24h, 72h, 7 days, 30 days).

These are the recommended starting point for anyone who has had concerning gambling patterns but isn't ready for full self-exclusion. The 24-hour cooling-off on limit increases is a meaningful safeguard against impulse decisions.

New York Treatment Resources

OASAS funds problem gambling treatment programs across New York. Treatment is available regardless of insurance status; the state covers gaps for uninsured individuals.

OASAS-funded gambling-specific treatment programs by region:

• Western NY (Buffalo, Rochester): Western Problem Gambling Resource Center, 716-833-4274
• Central NY (Syracuse, Utica): Central Problem Gambling Resource Center, 315-471-1359
• Capital Region (Albany): Capital Region Problem Gambling Resource Center, 518-289-4255
• Hudson Valley (Poughkeepsie, Newburgh): Mid-Hudson Problem Gambling Resource Center, 845-481-1530
• Long Island (Nassau, Suffolk): Long Island Problem Gambling Resource Center, 631-979-2120
• NYC (all five boroughs): NYC Problem Gambling Resource Center, 212-606-3393

Support for Family Members

If you are concerned about a family member's gambling, you are not alone. The "concerned other" experience is recognized as a distinct clinical category. Resources:

• Gam-Anon meetings (for family/friends): gam-anon.org — 12-step program for those affected by another's gambling
• NY HOPEline: 1-877-846-7369 — available 24/7 to family members as well, not just to the person with the gambling problem
• OASAS Family Support Navigator: 1-888-456-9959

Practical advice: don't pay off gambling debts (it enables continuation), don't gamble with the person to "monitor" them, do offer to attend the first OASAS appointment together if welcomed, do set firm boundaries around shared finances.

For the full New York sports betting context, see the sports betting hub. To set deposit limits at a specific operator, see the responsible-gambling section in the app under Account → Responsible Gambling.