The Comprehensive Problem Gambling Act of 2009

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Amid all the hype generated by the UIGEA related legal and legislatorial proceedings one bill intimately linked with online gambling seems to have been forgotten. This is the Comprehensive Problem Gambling Act of 2009. Problem gambling refers to the compulsive indulgence in gambling by a person leading to severe financial problems and psychological pressures that threaten to disrupt normal family life.

The Comprehensive Problem Gambling Act of 2009, also referred to as H.R. 2906, was introduced in the House by James Moran the Democrat Representative from Virginia on June 17, 2009. The Comprehensive Problem Gambling Act seeks to rope in the Office of the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for problem gambling alleviation. It requires this office to establish and implement programs for the identification, prevention, and treatment of problem gambling and to carry out a national campaign to increase awareness of problem gambling. The Administrator of Substance Abuse would report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on these issues. The reason that the Office of Substance Abuse has been chosen for this task is that experts believe that problem gambling, or pathological gambling as it is called in medical terminology, arises from a genetic disorder similar to that in the case of alcoholism and other substance abuse problems.

The Comprehensive Problem Gambling Act seeks to put in place a national mechanism for addressing the various issues. The responsibilities start at the highest level with the President of the United States. The President will be required to establish and implement a national program of research on problem gambling and to appoint an advisory commission to coordinate that research. The idea is that the research on problem gambling is available to all institutions grappling with this issue. The second big initiative called for by the Comprehensive Problem Gambling Act is to disseminate information to raise the awareness of problem gambling. Here the responsibility has been given to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The Secretary has to evolve national strategies for raising the awareness and encourage media outlets to provide information aimed at preventing problem gambling. The specific target is radio and television audiences of sporting and gambling events. The Act, however, stresses the need to reach out to a wider audience as well. The Act authorizes the Secretary to make grants to states, local, and tribal governments and nonprofit agencies so as to ensure that help is available locally. The funds are proposed to be collected as a percentage of revenue from gambling by each state and directed to a central pool.

So far the Comprehensive Problem Gambling Act has received 32 cosponsors. 8 of these are Republicans and the rest Democrats. Though this does show a partisan leaning the situation is much better than Barney Frank’s Internet gambling regulation bill. That bill has twice as many sponsors but with only half as many Republicans. Introduced bills are sent before House Committees that carry out preliminary review before the bill is subject to a general debate. The Comprehensive Problem Gambling Act has been sent to House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The subsequent process for converting this bill into law involves the report from the committee, vote by the House, vote by the Senate and signature of the President.

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