Alliance Against Gambling Harm

Mission

The organization exists to reduce gambling-related harm in California through lived-experience leadership, public education, and practical policy reform. It fills a gap between service delivery and advocacy by amplifying the people most affected, while pushing for stronger, more independent public-health protections.

Voice

Put affected people at the center

Lawmakers, regulators, and the public need to hear directly from people in recovery, family members, and communities living with the fallout of gambling harm.

Policy

Move beyond slogans

Advocate for real rules on exclusion, marketing, youth safeguards, treatment funding, and data transparency — not just “gamble responsibly” messaging.

Support

Connect people to help

Share trusted California resources, reduce confusion, and make it easier for gamblers and loved ones to find counseling, peer support, and prevention tools.

About AAGH

A public-interest advocacy effort focused on gambling harm.

Alliance Against Gambling Harm was built to turn lived experience, public-health concern, and policy reform into a clear agenda that lawmakers and the public can act on. The goal is not only to raise awareness, but to build pressure for stronger safeguards, independent oversight, and better support for people and families harmed by gambling.

Who this is for

People, families, and communities affected by gambling harm

The site is designed for people who have been harmed directly, relatives and loved ones, prevention advocates, treatment providers, and anyone who wants California policy to take gambling harm more seriously.

How this work is different

Lived experience and policy in the same place

AAGH combines storytelling, practical action tools, and concrete policy goals so supporters can do more than just agree with the issue. They can organize, write, testify, and help shape reform.

What builds trust

Clarity, transparency, and public accountability

The platform is built to explain what the organization stands for, what policies it supports, and what actions it is asking people to take. As the organization grows, this section can also include leadership, advisors, partners, and public updates.

Policy platform

This platform treats gambling harm as a preventable public-health and consumer-protection issue. It is designed for lawmakers, journalists, partners, and community members who want concrete reforms rather than vague promises.

Core principles

Gambling harm is a public-health and consumer-protection issue.
People with lived experience should have a formal role in policy design.
Prevention systems should be independent, transparent, and easy to use.
Youth exposure to betting culture and gambling-like digital products should be reduced.

Top policy goals

One self-exclusion list for all casinos in California.
Independent funding for prevention, treatment, and research.
Lived-experience representation on advisory and oversight bodies.
Stronger youth, marketing, product-design, and digital protections.

1

Unified exclusion

Pursue one statewide self-exclusion standard that covers all casinos, including tribal casinos through future compact negotiations.

2

Independent funding

Create ring-fenced funding for prevention, treatment, and research so services do not depend on unstable or industry-linked models.

3

Youth protections

Limit exposure to gambling-style ads, sports betting culture, and gambling-adjacent digital products that reach minors online.

4

Research and transparency

Expand statewide research, public reporting, and data-sharing so California can track harms and evaluate what works.

Public message

Nothing about gambling harm should be designed without the people who have lived it.

This movement is built to translate lived experience into policy language lawmakers can act on — while keeping the human stakes visible.

Priority	Near-term action	Why it matters
Unified exclusion	Ask state officials to pursue compact terms for one exclusion list statewide.	Makes protections easier to use when people are in crisis.
Youth safeguards	Back pending and future legislation limiting youth exposure to gambling-style products and advertising.	Responds to growing digital exposure among minors and young adults.
Independent infrastructure	Establish public, accountable funding for prevention, treatment, and research.	Builds a stronger response that does not rely only on industry-framed solutions.
Lived-experience governance	Add people directly affected by gambling harm to advisory, policy, and oversight bodies.	Brings real-world knowledge into system design.
Marketing and product rules	Tighten rules on misleading offers, risky promotions, and gambling-like digital formats.	Moves policy beyond slogans to actual prevention.

Take action

People should not have to be policy experts to make their voices heard. This section gives supporters ready-to-use actions they can take with lawmakers right now.

Action 1

Email your Assemblymember and State Senator

Ask them to support a “self-exclude once, protected everywhere” standard and to treat gambling harm as a consumer-protection and youth-safety issue.

Constituent outreachState lawmakers

Action 2

Support pending youth and digital safeguards

Contact lawmakers in support of current or future bills that limit minors’ exposure to gambling-style products, prediction markets, and betting-related ads.

Youth protectionDigital policy

Action 3

Push for future reforms

Ask state leaders to build independent funding, lived-experience governance, stronger marketing rules, and better access to treatment and self-exclusion tools.

Long-term reformPublic health

Template A

General letter to lawmakers

Use this when asking a lawmaker to support stronger gambling-harm policy in general.

Dear [Lawmakers Name],

I am writing as a constituent to ask you to treat gambling harm as a public-health and consumer-protection issue in California. Our state needs stronger protections, including one self-exclusion list for all casinos, independent funding for prevention and treatment, and more meaningful safeguards for youth exposed to betting culture and gambling-like digital products.

I urge you to support legislation and oversight that makes protections easier to use, more independent, and more responsive to people and families directly affected by gambling harm.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[City]

Template B

Support pending youth-safety legislation

Use this to back current or future bills limiting youth exposure to gambling-style products and ads.

Dear [Lawmakers Name],

I support stronger California protections for children and teenagers who are increasingly exposed to sports betting culture, gambling-style content, and gambling-adjacent digital products online.

Please support legislation that limits youth-targeted gambling advertising, strengthens age-verification, and recognizes that gambling harm prevention is part of protecting kids in digital environments.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[City]

Template C

Push for one exclusion list statewide

Use this to focus on self-exclusion reform and tribal-state compact negotiations.

Dear [Lawmakers Name],

California’s current self-exclusion system is fragmented. A person can place themselves on the state list for card rooms, but that protection does not automatically apply to tribal casinos.

I urge you to make “self-exclude once, protected everywhere” a standing goal for gambling legislation and future tribal-state compact negotiations. People and families in crisis need one clear system, not a patchwork.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[City]

Template D

Ask for independent funding and lived-experience voice

Use this to press for public-health governance rather than industry-shaped responses.

Dear [Lawmakers Name],

California needs an independent gambling-harm prevention system with dedicated funding for treatment, prevention, and research, as well as formal roles for people directly affected by gambling harm.

Please support policies that strengthen public accountability, reduce reliance on industry-framed models, and ensure that lived experience helps shape the state’s response.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[City]

Tip: personalize these letters with your own story, city, and why the issue matters to you. Personal letters are more persuasive than mass identical emails.

Facts on gambling harm

These figures help show why gambling harm should be treated as a public-health issue in California. They combine California-specific survey findings with widely cited national research on suicide risk and social costs.

California adults

7.2 million gambled in the past year

According to the California Health Interview Survey, about 1 in 4 California adults reported gambling in the past year.

Problem gambling symptoms

About 488,000 Californians affected

UCLA reported that roughly 488,000 California adults showed symptoms of problem gambling in the newest CHIS data.

Financial strain

112,000 needed help with living expenses

Among Californians who gambled in the past year, about 112,000 said they needed help from family, friends, or public assistance because of gambling.

Hidden impact

274,000 concealed gambling from loved ones

About 274,000 Californians who gambled in the past year said they kept friends or family from knowing how much they gambled.

Mental health

Suicide risk is far higher

A 2025 NCPG briefing citing recent studies says 31% of people with gambling problems reported suicidal ideation, 17% reported suicide plans, and 16% reported suicide attempts. The same briefing also notes nearly 17% of problem gamblers report attempting suicide, compared with 0.5% of the general population.

Psychological distress

1 in 4 with symptoms reported serious distress

UCLA found that a quarter of California adults with any symptoms of problem gambling reported serious psychological distress in the past year, compared with 13.5% of gambling adults without symptoms.

Social costs

Billions in broader costs

A 2025 NCPG congressional briefing cites an estimated $7 billion in annual social costs in the U.S., including crime, lost productivity, and bankruptcy. California-specific taxpayer cost estimates are harder to pin down, but the state survey already shows spillover into family support needs and public assistance.

Fact	Figure	Why it matters
Adults who gambled in past year	7.2 million	Shows the large population potentially exposed to harm.
Adults with problem gambling symptoms	488,000	Suggests a substantial statewide need for prevention and treatment.
Needed help with living expenses due to gambling	112,000	Demonstrates economic spillover onto families and support systems.
Concealed gambling from family or friends	274,000	Shows secrecy, shame, and family strain.
Suicidal ideation among people with gambling problems	31%	Reinforces that gambling harm is tied to serious mental-health risk.
Suicide attempts among people with gambling problems	16% to nearly 17%	Underscores the urgency of prevention, screening, and treatment.

Sources used in this section: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (California Health Interview Survey, published Oct. 2024) and the National Council on Problem Gambling congressional briefing on mental health impacts (Mar. 2025).

Stories and volunteers

Grassroots advocacy is stronger when it reflects real people. Supporters can use this space to volunteer, offer skills, or share stories that can help lawmakers understand the human cost of gambling harm.

Volunteer

Join the organizing effort

Share your voice

Tell your story for lawmakers

Help resources

Advocacy and support should sit next to each other. While policy change takes time, people and families need help right now.

Immediate help

24/7 support

Call 1-800-GAMBLER, start a live chat, text SUPPORT to 53342, or contact 988 in a crisis. For national support, use 1-800-MY-RESET.

Peer support

GA and family groups

Find meetings through Gamblers Anonymous, family support through Gam-Anon, and California-specific referrals at CalPG.

Tools

Self-exclusion and referrals

Use the California DOJ Self-Exclusion Program, the CDPH Office of Problem Gambling, and HowToExclude.org to move quickly from crisis to action.

Back to top