Since New York legalized mobile sports betting in January 2022, placing a wager has been as easy as opening an app. For most people that stays entertainment. For others, betting starts to affect money, relationships, work, and sleep, and stopping on their own no longer works.
Better Bet provides gambling addiction treatment to New Yorkers through our own team of licensed therapists, delivered entirely by secure video. You meet with your therapist from home, on a schedule that fits around work and family, without walking into a clinic. Gambling disorder is a treatable mental health condition, and you do not need to hit a financial bottom before asking for help.
If Gambling Has Caused a Crisis
Gambling debt and the shame that comes with it can make people feel trapped. Gambling-related distress also raises the risk of suicidal thoughts.
- If you are thinking about suicide or cannot keep yourself safe, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It is free, confidential, and available 24/7.
- If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
- For gambling-specific support and referrals anywhere in New York, call the state’s HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or text HOPENY to 467369. Nationally, you can call or text 1-800-MY-RESET, the National Problem Gambling Helpline, around the clock.
Reaching out during a crisis is not failure. It is the first step toward dealing with the problem underneath it.
How Better Bet Works in New York
Getting started is deliberately simple.
- Complete a short intake. Tell us a little about your gambling, your schedule, and what kind of support you are looking for.
- Get paired with one of our New York-licensed therapists. Your therapist is licensed to practice in New York and specializes in gambling disorder.
- Meet virtually. Sessions happen over secure video. Your first appointment is a clinical assessment, not a lecture. Your clinician will ask about how gambling shows up in your life and work with you on a plan.
- Continue at your pace. Most people meet weekly at first. Frequency changes as things stabilize.
Learn more about how Better Bet works.
Why Virtual Treatment Fits New York
New York has an extensive network of gambling treatment and recovery services, but access still depends on where you live and what your week looks like.
Virtual care removes the commute. A construction worker in Buffalo, a nurse on Long Island, a student in Albany, and a trader in Manhattan can all see a specialist without rearranging their day around a clinic’s hours. It also removes the waiting room. For many people, the fear of being seen walking into a treatment program is the thing that keeps them from going.
Better Bet serves residents across New York State, including New York City and the five boroughs, Long Island, Westchester and the Hudson Valley, the Capital Region, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, and rural counties where in-person gambling specialists may be an hour or more away.
The New York Gambling Landscape
Understanding the system around you can help you find support, limit gambling harms, and put barriers between yourself and the next bet.
Legal betting. New York has commercial and tribal casinos, racetrack casinos with video lottery slot machines, the state lottery, and legal online sports betting through licensed mobile operators. Mobile betting in particular has made 24/7 access the norm.
State oversight. The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) oversees problem gambling treatment and recovery services statewide. OASAS guidance calls for person-centered assessment, treatment planning that is regularly revisited, and integrated care for co-occurring conditions rather than treating gambling in isolation. OASAS also maintains a provider directory for anyone who wants to compare options.
Self-exclusion. The New York State Gaming Commission runs a Voluntary Self-Exclusion program. It covers casinos, video lottery facilities, sports wagering including mobile apps, pari-mutuel and online wagering, the Lottery, and fantasy sports. You choose one year, three years, five years, or lifetime, and enroll in person at a licensed gaming facility or by notarized mail. Many people in treatment use it as a practical safeguard alongside therapy. Individual betting apps also offer deposit limits, time limits, and cool-off periods.
Financial counseling. Gambling debt is often the most urgent consequence and the most common trigger for relapse. OASAS has highlighted GamFin, a free online financial counseling service for individuals and families dealing with gambling-related financial distress. A financial counselor can help you separate the debt problem from the urge to gamble, prioritize essential expenses, restrict your own access to money, and build a realistic repayment plan. Trying to win the money back is the one strategy that reliably makes things worse.
Peer support. The New York State Problem Gambling Resource Centers, run by the New York Council on Problem Gambling (NYCPG), offer information, referrals, and recovery support in each region of the state. Gamblers Anonymous is an independent fellowship with in-person and Zoom support groups across New York, and GamTalk offers an online peer community around the clock. GA is not affiliated with Better Bet, and many people find it works well alongside professional treatment.
Signs It May Be Time to Get Help
Gambling disorder, sometimes called compulsive gambling, is defined by loss of control and the harm gambling causes, not by how much money is lost. Under DSM-5, it sits in the same category as substance use disorders.
Common warning signs include repeatedly trying and failing to cut back, being preoccupied with gambling, chasing losses, needing to bet larger amounts to feel the same excitement, hiding gambling from family, borrowing or relying on others to cover losses, and feeling irritable or restless when trying to stop.
You do not need to check every box. If gambling is getting harder to control, or you keep going back despite the consequences, that is enough reason to talk to a professional. Getting help while the problem is escalating, rather than after a crisis, generally makes recovery easier.
What Treatment Looks Like
Treatment starts with a clinical assessment, not a single test. Your clinician will ask about gambling frequency, urges, spending, previous attempts to stop, and the effect on your life. They will also screen for depression, anxiety, substance use, and trauma, because gambling disorder rarely shows up alone and treating the whole picture works better than treating gambling by itself.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most widely studied treatment approach for gambling disorder. CBT targets the distorted thinking that keeps gambling going, such as the belief that a losing streak means a win is due, or that one more bet is the fastest way out of debt. It also builds concrete skills for handling urges and high-risk situations, and includes relapse prevention planning.
Motivational interviewing helps when part of you still wants to gamble. Rather than arguing, it helps you work through your own reasons for change.
Family and couples therapy can be appropriate when gambling has broken trust at home. Financial secrecy is often the deepest wound, and a structured setting helps.
Medication is sometimes discussed. There is no FDA-approved medication for gambling disorder, though naltrexone and a few others have been studied off-label. Any medication decision belongs with a qualified prescriber who knows your full medical history.
Relapse prevention runs through all of it. A lapse is a reason to reconnect with your clinician and look at what triggered it, not evidence that treatment failed.
For Partners and Family
Gambling affects everyone close to the person betting. Partners often discover the problem through a bank statement or a collections call, and the financial stress and broken trust can be as damaging as the gambling itself.
Family members can help by encouraging treatment, setting clear financial boundaries, and avoiding bailouts that make continued gambling easier. Support for yourself matters too. See our guide for loved ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Better Bet clinicians licensed in New York?
Yes. New York clients work with a Better Bet therapist licensed to practice in New York State and legally able to provide gambling addiction treatment to New York residents virtually.
Do I need a diagnosis before I reach out?
No. Your first session is an assessment. You do not need to be sure you have a problem to start the conversation.
Is virtual therapy as effective as in-person for gambling?
For talk therapies like CBT and motivational interviewing, video sessions deliver the same core treatment. For many people the convenience and privacy make it easier to stay consistent, which matters more than the format.
How is this different from calling the HOPEline?
The HOPEline is a state referral and support line and a good first call in a crisis. Better Bet is a treatment provider: ongoing care with your own dedicated therapist who knows your history.
Will anyone find out I am in treatment?
Your sessions are confidential and protected under HIPAA. We don’t share your information with employers, family, or betting operators without your written consent, except in the rare situations where the law requires it.
What if I am not ready to stop completely?
Talk to a clinician anyway. Motivational interviewing exists for exactly that situation, and you can set your own goals.
Get Started
If gambling is becoming difficult to control, you do not have to wait for it to cost you more. Better Bet provides virtual, confidential gambling addiction treatment to New Yorkers through licensed therapists who specialize in this work.
Complete a short intake today and take the first step toward a plan that fits your life.