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Wyoming Department of Health outlines $300,000 county distribution for problem-gambling services
Summary
The Wyoming Department of Health told the Select Committee on Gaming it distributes $300,000 a year to counties for problematic-gambling prevention and treatment based on adult population; unclaimed funds roll over and 17 counties had accepted last year's allocation.
Stephanie Sandoval, senior administrator in the Wyoming Department of Health public health division, told the Select Committee on Gaming that the department distributes $300,000 a year to counties to address problematic gambling and that the funds are allocated by county adult population.
“The first thing I wanna do though is make a distinction between the 200,000 that the Wyoming Lottery Commission has and the 300,000 per year that is made available to the Department of Health for distribution to the counties,” Sandoval said. She added the department does not include the gambling allocation in its other prevention contracts for substance misuse, tobacco or suicide prevention because statute requires the gambling money be made available to counties.
Sandoval told the committee that counties request the money, then invoice the department when they have spent it; if counties decline the funds, unclaimed amounts “will just roll over to the next year.” She said about 17 counties had accepted last year’s allocation and the department is contacting counties now about the current year’s amounts.
Nut graf: The Department of Health’s role is distribution, not program delivery. Sandoval said the agency lacks a statewide program dedicated to problematic gambling and instead works with counties and with subject-matter staff at the Gaming Commission and nonprofit partners to advise counties on how to use the money for local prevention, provider training and awareness campaigns.
Committee members asked operational questions about the funding flow and data. Representative Webb asked whether the statewide 988 behavioral-health call line flags problem gambling; Sandoval said 988 is run by a different division and she would follow up with that information.
Sandoval also said Laramie County plans an environmental scan to “really understand if there is a problem.” She told the committee the department lacks a public-health data collection system for problematic gambling and is willing to accept data the Lottery Commission or other agencies collect, including hotline call data.
Ending: Sandoval told the committee the department is willing to act as a “middle man” for the funds or to use a different distribution mechanism if the legislature or the committee prefers, and she offered to answer follow-up questions and provide additional detail about county uptake and allowable uses.
