New York’s Office of Addiction Services and Supports has launched a broader push against gambling harm, centring its new “Take a Pause” campaign on people who use mobile sports betting and on the warning signs that a habit is turning into a problem.
As covered on Aug. 21, New York’s inspector general said mobile sports wagering accounted for 228 of the 481 gaming-related complaints the office received in 2025, putting online betting at the centre of much of its casework. OASAS also said traffic to its gambling support website rose from about 38,000 annual visitors in 2022 to roughly 190,000 visits between 1 January and 21 August 2026.
The campaign urges bettors to think about whether gambling is still an enjoyable diversion or has become repeated wagering. Jerry Gretzinger, an associate commissioner at OASAS, said the message is meant to prompt people to notice excessive spending, strained personal relationships and the amount of time they are spending gambling.
Rather than telling people not to gamble at all, the campaign focuses on awareness, informed decision-making and moderation. OASAS has also leaned on personal recovery stories, saying people who have lived through gambling addiction can be especially persuasive to others who are trying to recognise their own behaviour before the financial and personal consequences worsen.
The public-service effort includes information for people seeking help for themselves or a loved one, along with a survey that helps users assess whether their wagering may be a concern. OASAS said the materials are available in English and Spanish, and the campaign is running across social media, television, radio, billboards and other public places.
The agency has also pointed to its wider treatment network. It partners with GamFin to provide free financial counselling for people facing gambling-related money problems, oversees inpatient and outpatient gambling treatment providers, operates addiction treatment centres that can treat gambling addiction and funds regional problem gambling resource centres in every part of the state.
The campaign lands against the backdrop of New York’s fast-growing mobile betting market. Mobile sports wagering was authorised through Chapter 59 of the Laws of 2021, and the first mobile wager in the state was placed on 8 January 2022.
The New York State Gaming Commission and OASAS reported in March 2025, in a report updated in December, that New Yorkers wagered $22.6 billion on mobile sports platforms in 2024, across more than 1.7 billion transactions and 4.8 million newly created accounts. The report said the average amount wagered per account was $4,329, and that online betting became the top reason for HOPEline calls after mobile sports wagering launched.
That annual report, required under Section 1367-a(6) of the Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law, also said calls to the state’s multilingual HOPEline rose 30.7% from 2,345 in 2020 to 3,064 in 2024. The report said 2024 was the first year it included specific data from nine licensed mobile operators, after the relevant regulation was adopted in April 2025.
