NCPG Announces National Awards Recipients and New Board Leadership

Awards Ceremony and Board Of Directors Meeting Were Held on July 20

Washington, DC – The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has announced the recipients of the 2021 NCPG National Awards. The awards ceremony was held online during the afternoon of Tuesday, July 20, and was sponsored by BetMGM, the Oregon Lottery, the Virginia Lottery and the Wyoming Lottery.

The ceremony was emceed by Chip Polston, Senior Vice President, Communications, Public Relations and Social Responsibility for the Kentucky Lottery Corporation. The recipients were chosen based on outstanding individual and organizational accomplishments in the field of problem gambling and responsible gambling during the 2020 calendar year. Three Lifetime Awards recipients who were also honored for outstanding work over the course of their careers (see a listing of all the recipients below).

“Congratulations to all the recipients of the 2021 NCPG National Awards,” said Keith Whyte. “Their exemplary work in problem gambling and responsible gambling serves as a template for others to follow. I also want to give special congratulations to the Lifetime Award recipients this year – Heather Chapman, Deborah Haskins, and Rachel Volberg.”

The Lifetime Awards recipients are:

• DR ROBERT L. CUSTER LIFETIME AWARD FOR DIRECT SERVICE – Heather Chapman, PhD, ICGC-II, BACC
• MONSIGNOR JOSEPH DUNNE LIFETIME AWARD FOR ADVOCACY – Deborah Haskins, PhD, ICGC-II, BACC
• LIFETIME RESEARCH AWARD – Rachel Volberg, PhD

The Awards recipients in the communications category are:

• HOLIDAY RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING CAMPAIGN – North Carolina Education Lottery
• MEDIA AWARD – “Bay State Confronts Problem Gambling In Ways Connecticut Does Not,” Mark Pazniokiss, Capital Bureau & Co-Founder of the CT Mirror in Hartford Connecticut
• CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AWARD – GamRes Limited
• CORPORATE WEBSITE AWARD – North Carolina Education Lottery
• AFFILIATE PUBLIC AWARENESS AWARD – The Responsible Gambling Council of Toronto, Canada
• CORPORATE PUBLIC AWARENESS AWARD – North Carolina Education Lottery
• AFFILIATE NEWSLETTER AWARD – Northstar Problem Gambling Alliance
• CORPORATE NEWSLETTER AWARD – Plainridge Park Casino
• AFFILIATE MULTICULTURAL AWARD – Evergreen Council of Problem Gambling
• CORPORATE MULTICULTURal AWARD – New Jersey Lottery
• CORPORATE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD – “Life Balance Advertisement,” New Jersey Lottery

The Awards recipients in the individual achievement category are:

• ANNUAL RESEARCH AWARD – “An Examination of the Validity and Reliability of the Positive Play Scale: Findings From a Canadian National Study” by Nassim Tabri, Richard Wood, Kahlil Philander and Michael Wohl
• DON HULEN ANNUAL AWARD FOR ADVOCACY – Judge Cheryl Moss (Ret.)
• DURANT JACOB DISSERTATION AWARD – William Spencer Murch
• JOANNA FRANKLIN ANNUAL AWARD FOR DIRECT SERVICE – Lihn Ho
• JEFFREY M. BECK RECOVERY AMBASSADOR AWARD – Roger Olsen
• JIM WUELFING ANNUAL AWARD FOR PREVENTION – Kaitlin Brown
• Service award – Enrique Zuniga

In addition, the People’s Choice Award recipients from last year were announced. Attendees at the annual NCPG Conference typically vote in person on the nominees, but the 2020 Conference was moved online at the last minute due to the pandemic. As a result, online voting for the affiliate and corporate categories occurred later and were announced at yesterday’s ceremony. The recipients were:

• 2020 AFFILIATE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD – “Smart Play OK,” Oklahoma Association on Problem & Compulsive Gambling
• 2020 CORPORATE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD – “Change the Game – Youth Prevention Campaign,” Ohio for Responsible Gambling

Also on July 20, the NCPG Board of Directors kicked off its 2021-2022 term by seating four recently-elected Directors and electing officers.

“NCPG’s Board of Directors are instrumental in helping our organization design and implement policies, strategies and goals that improve how we address problem gambling and responsible gambling,” said Whyte. “We welcome new Directors with new ideas and new directions. And we are grateful for the exemplary service of our departing Board members, including Robert Jacobson, Janet Miller, Brad Longcake, and Stacy Shaw.”

The Board’s new leadership team is President Maureen Greely, who is Executive Director of the Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling; Vice President Jeff Wasserman, JD, who is Judicial Outreach and Development Director for the Delaware Council on Gambling Problems; Treasurer Susan Sheridan Tucker, who is Executive Director of the Northstar Problem Gambling Alliance; and Secretary Mary Drexler, who is Program Director for the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling

NCPG is proud to work with so many creative and dynamic individuals in pursuing its mission to help people and families affected by problem gambling.

About the National Council on Problem Gambling

Based in Washington DC, the National Council on Problem Gambling is the only national nonprofit organization that seeks to minimize the economic and social costs associated with gambling addiction by working with all stakeholders. NCPG is neutral on legalized gambling. If gambling becomes a problem, NCPG urges people who gamble, as well as their loved ones, to contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline, which offers hope and help without judgment or shame. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call or text 1-800-522-4700 or visit www.ncpgambling.org/chat. Help is available 24/7 – it is free, anonymous and confidential.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2021

CONTACT: John Norton
Johnn@ncpgambling.org
202-360-4560