Ohio’s Problem Gambling Conference WAS SPONSORED BY THE PROBLEM
This week, the Problem Gambling Network (PGN) of Ohio hosted its annual conference. At first glance, it seemed like a typical gathering of healthcare professionals, researchers, and state leaders focused on prevention, treatment, and recovery.
However, the list of sponsors and the presence of "industry partners" revealed a troubling irony.
Many of the organizations sponsoring the "solution" to problem gambling are the same ones that have spent millions lobbying to expand gambling throughout Ohio in the first place. It would be comparable to major beer companies funding Alcoholics Anonymous, but only after ensuring that there are enough untreated addicts to make their profits.
This is what corruption looks like.
— Aaron Baer (@aarbaer) February 11, 2026
The top sponsors of the “Ohio Problem Gambling Conference” are all the companies profiting off problem gambling. pic.twitter.com/CuaWgoM4bs
As Aaron Baer, President of the Center for Christian Virtue, pointed out, there is a fundamental conflict of interest when the State and the gambling industry team up.
The Problem with "Responsible Gambling"
The conference heavily promoted the concept of "Responsible Gambling." But the gambling industry’s business model depends on people not gambling responsibly. High-volume, high-frequency players (the ones most at risk for addiction) are the primary profit drivers for casinos and sportsbooks.
When these companies sponsor recovery conferences, it isn’t corporate social responsibility. By funding a few treatment beds and some "Call 1-800-GAMBLER" billboards, they purchase the social license to continue aggressive expansion into our living rooms via mobile betting apps.
A Self-Sustaining Cycle
By bringing together regulators, operators, and treatment providers, the conference creates a "Problem Gambling Industrial Complex."
The Operators expand the reach of gambling to create more "users."
The Regulators (the State) take a cut of the action to fund the budget.
The Non-Profits receive a fraction of that money to "treat" the casualties.
Everyone in that room has a seat at the table, but the table is owned by the house.
Meaningful Change vs. Managed Addiction
If we were serious about solving problem gambling in Ohio, we wouldn't be looking for "safer play" strategies designed by those who profit from gambling. We would be looking at the predatory nature of the industry itself and the State's complicity in it.
The attendees at the PGN Ohio conference may have the best of intentions, but as long as the checks are being signed by the organizations creating the problem, "recovery" will always be elusive, always waiting one step behind the next big jackpot.
Want to learn more?
Check out this episode of The Narrative podcast where journalist Danny Funt, author of Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling, explores the explosive growth of legalized betting. Danny reveals the social, financial, and moral costs that extend well beyond the simple idea of “everybody wins.”
From micro-bets that can hook young gamblers to the duopoly controlling the industry, this is the crucial information every parent, policymaker, and concerned citizen needs to understand.
For more information, contact CCV at 513-733-5775 or contact@ccv.org. For media inquiries, email media@ccv.org.
As Ohio's largest Christian public policy organization, Center for Christian Virtue seeks the good of our neighbors by advocating for public policy that reflects the truth of the Gospel.
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