USA
Problem Gambling Awareness Month is a nationwide campaign to raise awareness and remove stigma around problem gambling. Organizations and operators across the industry, including JustGamblers, seek to promote prevention, treatment, and access to recovery services.
JustGamblers contributed during PGAM in various ways through https://justgamblers.com/ and our social media channels.
A Guide Focused on Player Safety in Online Casinos
We created the most extensive guide to safe online casinos in the US, covering the following areas with a greater focus on player safety and problem gambling prevention, aligning with PGAM’s goals:
- A data-driven analysis of all online casinos to create a concise list of the three safest options with an in-depth look at each brand featured on the list: FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM.
- Highlight how each brand approaches player protection differently and how it impacts platform-specific safety.
- Shift focus from basic compliance to how operators actively prevent gambling-related harm, fraud, and data theft.
- Educate players on the tools and features that actually improve safety (limits, behavioral tracking, impact tools, intervention, and support systems).
- The importance of licensing and the use of regulated online casinos.
- Emphasize the importance of reliable withdrawals and transparent and robust payment processes for peace of mind and security.
- Raise awareness of responsible gaming resources and access to treatment, including nationwide research, treatment options, and support systems.
- Provide a thorough framework to help players identify and choose safer online casinos.
Over the coming days, we will create a video guide based on this, embed it on the page, and publish it on our social media channels to raise awareness.
Improvements to JustGamblers Responsible Gaming Guide
We added a dedicated section to our responsible gaming page to include information about PGAM and its aims and objectives, including:
- Details of this year’s PGAM theme, “Caring Communities, Stronger Futures,” directives, and goals.
- A fact sheet informed by statistics from the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG).
- A personal commentary on “Gambling Disorder Screening Day.”
- Embedded a TedTalk of the tragic but inspiring story of Justyn Rees Larcombe, who suffered and overcame severe gambling addiction.
We also shared the problem gambling fact sheet across our social media channels, including Instagram.
Some Thoughts on PGAM 2026 and Beyond
“What stood out to me while researching the aspects of player safety in online casinos is how different operators approach responsible gaming. FanDuel stood out with proactive tools and in-app features. At the same time, most other operators are more concerned with industrywide and nationwide initiatives to improve conditions and the safety net outside the actual casino platforms. FanDuel stood out in this regard, and to an extent DraftKings too, as more willing to invest in their products through in-house organizational efforts rather than ‘outsourcing’ the work to other organizations. Don’t get me wrong, both approaches are important, but far too few casino operators invest beyond the basics to provide advanced in-app player safety. Proactive prevention of gambling addiction is arguably most effective in the user interfaces where casino players interact with games and payments. More work can be done here by nearly all US online casino operators. Perhaps future initiatives from the NCPG can address this, to encourage online casinos to invest more money into their products to improve player safety where it matters the most.”
Patrik Lidin, Head of Content at JustGamblers
