Amani Toomer, Charles Oakley Promote Responsible Gambling In New York

When Amani Toomer first enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1992, the football coaches and staff had a meeting with their new student-athletes to talk about Ohio State University.

The conversation wasn’t to add gas to the heated rivalry with the Buckeyes, but it was a cautionary tale about highly-touted quarterback Art Schlichter, whose struggles with a lifetime gambling addiction not only cut short his professional football career, but resulted in multiple arrests and time in prison.

“I really took it to heart,” Toomer says. “They almost did too good of a job. It was so much of a scare tactic that I didn’t even talk to a lot of regular students because anytime anyone started talking about football I started getting nervous like, ‘I’m not getting caught up in this.’”

Schlichter’s saga proved to be enough motivation for Toomer and his teammates to avoid getting involved in illegal sports gambling in the early 1990s. Following the popularity of fantasy football—an estimated 40 million Americans play fantasy football—and the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018, sports betting isn’t bookies in back alleys anymore, it’s mainstream and legal.

Since June 2018, Americans have legally wagered $135.3 billion across 25 states and Washington, D.C. Despite legalizing sports betting in January 2022, New York is quickly rising to the top with the state generating more than $267 million, which surpasses the $253 million Pennsylvania has generated in sports wagering revenue since November 2018 and the $229 million New Jersey has generated since June 2018.

With sports betting becoming as American as apple pie, ensuring the safety of bettors is becoming an increasing priority. Following in the footsteps of his college coaches three decades ago, Toomer is spreading the word about sports integrity and responsible gambling as a trustee for Entain Foundation U.S., a non-profit founded by global sports betting, gaming and interactive entertainment group Entain.

The organization, which sponsors a variety of informational and educational programs on problem gambling including its Gamble Responsibly America app launched in September, has committed more than $100 million to responsible gambling programs over the next five years.

According to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), the number of Americans who bet on sports grew by 30% in the 18 months leading up to September 2021, equating to 15.3 million people. The NCPG also reported a 50% rise in problematic gambling habits between 2018-21.

“I know it’s not the sexiest topic, but it’s critically important to the long-term sustainability of the sports betting market,” says Martin Lycka, senior vice-president for American Regulatory Affairs and Responsible Gambling at Entain. “It’s been like a maelstrom that’s hit all of the states, which is great, but we’ve been doing our best to talk to folks about responsible gambling and sports integrity.”

Toomer, who won Super Bowl XLII with the New York Giants and is the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, isn’t the only New York sports legend advocating for responsible gambling in The Empire State and beyond.

Former New York Knicks forward Charles Oakley is also focusing some of his efforts through his Charles Oakley Foundation around responsible gambling education and resources, particularly for new and soon-to-be sports bettors in partnership with Wager Score.

“It’s great to get out there and get ahead of this problem,” says Oakley, who starred for the Knicks from 1988-98. “We’re hustling. We’re on the streets. We’re going to universities. We’re doing pop-ups. We’re trying to get this out there.”

Founded by Bo Grey, Wager Score is “like a Fico score” for gambling, helping bettors better understand their finances and limits via a real-time affordability tool that harnesses technology to try to get a user to slow down or stop if they reach a certain threshold and before they hit financial despair.

Wager Score is partners with Entain Foundation and has BetMGM, which is jointly owned by Entain and MGM Resorts, as its first gambling partner in the U.S. Grey says they are finalizing a deal with an NFL team to be their responsible gaming partner.

With sports betting legal in the U.S. for residents at 21—the age limit in Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Washington is 18—Grey says it’s important to engage and educate college-age consumers before they make their first bet, rather than after a problem may arise.

“Obviously we’re naive to not think they’re not seeing gambling all around them,” he says. “We know a lot of people start betting when they get to college so to integrate responsible gambling at that age and educate them with certain tools to understand risk, know where to get help, and know the warning signs at an early stage is the key.”