As program manager of the Northeast Council on Problem Gambling, Kelley Delaney fields calls from people who are experiencing negative consequences from gambling and their family members.

“It feels great to be able to give back what I was given,” said Delaney.

It's her job to connect those clients with treatment. She knows all too well how they might be feeling.

“I did not realize problem gambling was a thing,” said Delaney. “I was one of the many people that don't know that that's an addiction. I knew that my family member had struggled with past addictions, but I thought that that was behind them."

Before she began working for the council, Delaney discovered her family member was overspending on sports betting apps like FanDuel and had been hiding it.

“I felt a lot of stress and anxiety,” said Delaney. “There was a lot that was put on my shoulders just because I wasn't able to trust my family member, and that was the hardest thing for me to kind of navigate through.

“I also had to worry about others in my family. I had to worry about taking over finances. I kind of there was a huge burden that was placed on my shoulders and I really didn't know how to handle it."

Delaney’s experience is becoming more and more common. Problem gambling doesn't look the same as it did even a decade ago.

While casinos are still in the mix, the booming online sports betting industry is attracting an influx of new gamblers.

"Any time there are greater opportunities for gambling there's going to be an increase in problems,” said Assistant Director for Prevention and Special Programs Amy McBride. “So the more gambling activities that exist, we're going to have more issues, and we are certainly seeing that with the phone calls into our resource center."

According to a 2020 study by OASAS, 4.4% of New York adults are at-risk gamblers and 0.7% are problem or pathological gamblers.

"We are definitely seeing more younger males, in their 20s, college-age students really struggling with sports gambling,” said McBride. “It’s really important that we spread awareness, because I think a lot of people struggle in silence and we know this, and they don't know necessarily that these supports even exist."

Along with OASAS and the New York State Gaming Commission, the council is part of the New York Responsible Play Partnership working together to combat the problem.

“As of June 1, we are launching here at the New York Council on Problem Gambling the voluntary self-exclusion Support program,” said McBride. “So with that, we're going to be able to assist people with completing that form, answering questions, but also most importantly, helping getting that paperwork notarized. So we're eliminating some hesitancy there. They are going to be able to to do it remotely anywhere in New York State."

When Delaney got connected with the council, she was matched with a clinician who not only helped her and her family member get on the right track, but also inspired her to get into the field herself.

"I feel like it's very important to keep pushing yourself, keep working at it, and just keep going with it, because there was a lot of times when I felt extremely overwhelmed and I felt like I couldn't do this,” said Delaney. “I kind of just forced myself to keep going, and I'm glad that I did."

To get help from the NYS Council on Problem Gambling, visit their website at https://nyproblemgamblinghelp.org or call the northeast division at 518-801-1491.