Northeastern Law’s Public Health Advocacy Institute Launches Family and Friends of Gamblers, a National Advocacy Movement Targeting Gambling Industry Practices
11.07.25 — A national movement to elevate the experiences of those whose lives have been upended by gambling disorder is at the heart of Family and Friends of Gamblers (FFOG), a new nonprofit launched by Northeastern Law’s Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) on November 6 in Washington, DC, with Lifting the FOG Day. PHAI created FFOG to address an often-overlooked dimension of the gambling crisis: For every person experiencing a gambling disorder, an estimated eight to ten family members or friends also endure significant harm.
“The gambling industry has largely followed Big Tobacco’s playbook, and the result is unacceptable levels of public harm,” said Professor Richard Daynard, head of FFOG and president of PHAI, a legal research center long engaged in shaping public health responses to harmful industry practices. “Just as growing awareness of secondhand smoke shifted public understanding and enabled major policy reform, FFOG will play a central role in shaping a robust public health response to gambling.”
Professor Mark Gottlieb ’93, executive director of PHAI and a founding board member of FFOG, underscored the initiative’s purpose: “We know the suffering caused by the online gambling industry extends far beyond individuals with gambling disorder. The voices of parents, spouses, partners, siblings, children, friends and community members must and will be heard.”
Gottlieb noted the precedent set by other influential public health movements. “We recently commemorated the45th anniversary of the founding of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). MADD fundamentally changed alcohol policy in this country, and FFOG stands ready to drive similarly comprehensive policy change in the gambling industry.”
The launch comes amid the rapid expansion of online gambling in the United States. Since the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018, sports gambling has been legalized in 39 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Online casino gambling is now legal in seven states, with more expected in the coming years.
Dr. Harry Levant, director of gambling policy at PHAI and secretary of FFOG, emphasized the urgency of the initiative. “The family and friends of gamblers will no longer tolerate the gambling industry acting with impunity and disregarding the pain and damage being suffered by far too many people. As policymakers begin to understand the magnitude of the problem and its reach, comprehensive public health regulation will follow.”
FFOG operates under the motto: “Hurt by Gambling. Silent No Longer.” More information is available at hurtbygambling.org.
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