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Sponsor seeks requirement for gambling‑help contact on video gambling machines; industry says signposting already exists
Summary
Representative Kelly Quarton told the House Business and Labor Committee that House Bill 204 would require gambling‑help contact information to be affixed to video gambling machines to help people with problem gambling find counseling and support.
Representative Kelly Quarton told the House Business and Labor Committee that House Bill 204 would require a notice with gambling‑addiction hotline numbers and resource websites to be affixed to video gambling machines.
"By affixing a small sticker with phone numbers and websites to addiction resources, we can help someone when they are feeling at their lowest," Quarton said, arguing the cost of a sticker is small compared with the harm of untreated gambling disorder.
A person who identified himself as a compulsive gambler, Gary Rafter, told the committee that local Gamblers Anonymous meetings and counseling helped him. "It saved my family and my wedding," he said, urging passage so others could find help more easily.
Opponents and informational witnesses described existing programs and raised implementation questions. Rhonda Wiggers, representing Montana coin machine route operators, said the Montana Council on Problem Gambling and industry‑funded counseling and a 24‑hour hotline already exist; she said the council is funded privately by the industry and that the Department of Justice does not operate the counseling service the bill would point to. "The department doesn't provide any resources. That's done with privately funded money," she said.
John Iverson of the Montana Tavern Association said taverns and casinos already post problem‑gambling information and that the association helps fund the council. He and other industry witnesses questioned the added value of a requirement to place a sticker on every video gambling machine (VGM), given administrative burden and machine face designs that may leave little room for a sticker.
Brad Longcake, executive director of the Montana Council on Problem Gambling, said the council provides counseling at no cost to Montanans and fields roughly 1,100–1,300 interactions a year. He said the council currently has about 10 counselors and is funded by donations from industry and other partners. Longcake said the council uses multiple outreach methods, including a website, posters, coasters and periodic partnerships with the lottery to display information.
Committee members asked about how many VGMs exist in Montana, and witnesses said there are roughly 16,000 licensed machines. Members also asked who would pay for stickers; the sponsor said the machine owners or vendors would handle printing and placement. Legal counsel advised the committee that, under constitutional requirements that bills stay within their subject matter, amendments to place notices elsewhere in a licensed facility rather than on each machine would likely be in the same legislative “ballpark” but he said he would confirm with the code commissioner.
Witnesses and the sponsor suggested compromise options, such as allowing signage in a consistent, visible location rather than mandating a sticker on every machine. The committee took testimony but did not vote on the bill during the hearing.
