The Arkansas Problem Gambling Council will start work as the Arkansas Racing Commission’s provider of educational and treatment services for Arkansans with gambling disorders next week, nearly four years after voters approved a constitutional amendment requiring the commission to provide at least $200,000 a year for gambling disorder and treatment programs.

The council’s $200,000 contract with the racing commission begins Tuesday and runs through Oct. 31, 2023. By mutual agreement, the contract may be renewed up to six additional one-year terms.

State officials awarded the contract to the Arkansas Problem Gambling Council because of the organization’s statewide relationships with mental health professionals along with its work with the National Council on Problem Gambling, said Department of Finance and Administration spokesman Scott Hardin.