A New Jersey judge’s decision to return control of the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline to the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ) has created a deadline next Monday that’s raising serious questions about whether the transition can happen without major service disruptions.
CCGNJ, which started the helpline in the 1980s, will take back control from the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) after a legal fight over lease renewal. The organization says there won’t be any service interruptions, but every industry source I spoke with — all of whom are familiar with how these systems work — say the challenges might be bigger than CCGNJ is letting on.
