DraftKings to Donate $1.57M as Part of Its State Council Funding Program

DraftKings has demonstrated its commitment to inhibiting gambling harm by vowing to support the 35 state problem gambling councils across the United States.

DraftKings Launches the State Council Funding Program

Through the so-called State Council Funding Program, the famous operator will fuel the councils’ work by providing them with crucial monetary aid for three years. The initiative will see DraftKings provide an annual help of $15,000 to each of the councils. In total, the operator will support responsible gambling with a total sum of $1,575,000.

The councils will be free to use the funding to pay for whatever is most needed at the moment – this includes hiring more staff, improving the quality of their work, training the employees, holding conferences or something else.

Christine Thurmond, the director of responsible gaming for DraftKings, said that she has worked in her home state’s council for several years and has seen how valuable their work is. Because of this, she is glad to be able to help the councils’ operations:

“Our hope is that this funding will give councils that extra support needed to fund priority areas, expand services, or hire additional staff; whatever is most needed, we want to help financially.”

DraftKings head of responsible gambling Christine Thurmond

The program will begin this month. Its first three years will serve as a trial, after which DraftKings may decide to renew its commitment.

The Program Demonstrates the Operator’s Devotion

Keith Whyte, the executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, is delighted by DraftKings’ State Council Funding Program. He said that this proves that the operator knows about the importance of the state councils and is willing to support their valuable work.  Whyte explained:

 “State councils provide a first line of defense for addressing the needs of people impacted by problem gambling. While it’s well established that these organizations provide critical assistance in the community, they don’t always have the resources and funds to take treatment and prevention to the next level.”

National Council on Problem Gambling executive director Keith Whyte

As the most visible operator in the United States, DraftKings realizes the need of addressing problem gambling and ensuring a healthy gambling ecosystem. Throughout 2021, the operator has launched various initiatives to demonstrate its commitment to stopping gambling harm.

Its initiatives include an internal commitment to teaching its clients to bet responsibly, a training partnership with Cambridge Health Alliance, support of AGA’s Have a Game Plan. Bet Responsibly campaign and financial aid to various gambling harm researches. The new initiative proves that the operator is bullish to make gambling safer for everyone.