Virginia Council on Problem Gambling - VCPG

01/26/2026

Mark your calendars for an important conversation next month!

📣 Building Positive Connections: Caring Conversations Around Problem Gaming & Gambling
📅 February 19, 2026
⏰ 10:30 AM
📍 James Madison University

In partnership with JMU, Virginia Dept. of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS), Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health and Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Services Board, this free event is focused on raising awareness, providing education and building understanding around gaming and gambling risks and behaviors, particularly among young adults.

The program will feature a keynote by Daniel Trolaro, MS, followed by a panel discussion with VCPG Executive Director Willard Robertson and other experts in gaming and gambling prevention, education, treatment and recovery.

🔗 Learn more: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=LBL7PuEh0keuZ8a89t83mIGzLb5F2aVNgSp9-aQ_tTtUQ0FHREhSRDBZWjY0WFZWT0UxN09OSElHSi4u

01/22/2026

We’re excited to announce Willard Robertson as VCPG’s new Executive Director!

Willard is a seasoned nonprofit leader with more than 30 years of experience in mental health, education and gambling harm prevention.

𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥, “𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳, 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘈𝘴 𝘌𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘝𝘊𝘗𝘎’𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘝𝘪𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢’𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘝𝘪𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦.”

Before stepping into this role, he served three years on the VCPG Board of Directors. His previous work includes serving as the Problem Gambling Prevention Specialist for Highlands Community Services, where he developed local, regional, and statewide prevention strategies and delivered evidence‑based training on addiction, brain development, and su***de awareness.

Willard also coordinates the Washington County Prevention Coalition, leading collaborative efforts in su***de prevention, substance use education, and gambling harm awareness.

Throughout his career, Willard has built coalitions, expanded stakeholder engagement and represented Virginia at national conferences focused on gambling harm. We can’t wait to see the impact he will make across the Commonwealth and beyond.

👏 Please join us in welcoming Willard to this new role!

01/16/2026

As we continue the Elevating Our Stories series, this week, Kevin Roberts shares his powerful story.

A Peer Recovery Specialist intern with the Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health, he opens up about his recovery journey and the intersection of gambling disorder and ADHD. He also speaks to the importance of self-care and self-compassion, asking for help and practicing gratitude as part of recovery.

If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling, support is available. 📱 Please call or text our confidential, toll-free, 24/7 helpline at 1.888.532.3500.

01/09/2026

Upcoming events and resources for you!

🗓️ Free Webinar: Addiction as a Disease – Exploring the Cycle of Addiction & Prevention Strategies, Sponsored by Master Center for Addiction Medicine, Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health & VCPG

January 12, 2026 | 12 PM ET

Join us to understand addiction and explore evidence-based ways to combat relapse in this important virtual conversation.

🔗 Register here: https://vpgh.jotform.com/253373742135961

🗓️ Problem Gambling Treatment & Support Advisory Committee Meeting

January 27, 2026 | 10 AM ET

This committee was established to enable collaboration among prevention and treatment providers and operators of legal gaming in Virginia on efforts to reduce the negative effects of problem gambling.

🔗 Members of the public are welcome to attend virtually via Microsoft Teams: https://teams.microsoft.com/dl/launcher/launcher.html?url=%2F_%23%2Fl%2Fmeetup-join%2F19%3Ameeting_ZTJlZTEyYmQtNjc0Yy00ZTQ0LTgyYmUtMzE5NmQ2ZDZlNWY0%40thread.v2%2F0%3Fcontext%3D%257b%2522Tid%2522%253a%2522620ae5a9-4ec1-4fa0-8641-5d9f386c7309%2522%252c%2522Oid%2522%253a%252215c5066a-c9d6-4b44-bf0a-a77119e7c3f9%2522%257d%26anon%3Dtrue&type=meetup-join&deeplinkId=cee4c450-08d2-4bec-9ad8-618e0670f8b6&directDl=true&msLaunch=true&enableMobilePage=true&suppressPrompt=true

01/02/2026

A new year means new opportunities! ✨

Keep these tips in mind to be a more responsible gambler in 2026.

🔗 For more information and helpful resources, visit: www.vcpg.net

📱If you or someone you know needs support or is struggling with gambling, please call or text our confidential and toll-free, 24/7 helpline at 1.888.532.3500.

12/30/2025

Awareness, advocacy, and recovery drive change! ✅

As part of our Elevating Our Stories series, Keith Whyte, VCPG Board Member & Founder/President of Safer Gambling Strategies, shares why he champions individuals affected by problem gambling and how we can better support recovery journeys in this video.

www.vcpg.net

12/24/2025

❄️ Sending warm holiday wishes from all of us at VCPG! 🎁 Wishing you a joyful season - and a reminder that responsible gifting means lottery tickets are for adults over 18 years of age only.

📱If you or someone you know needs support or is struggling with gambling this holiday season, please call or text our 24/7 Helpline at 1.888.532.3500.

12/23/2025

Mark your calendars and join VCPG, Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health & Master Center for Addiction Medicine for an important, virtual conversation:

🧠 Addiction as a Disease: Exploring the Cycle of Addiction & Prevention Strategies

This free webinar will explore addiction from a clinical level, raise awareness about the stages and factors contributing to the addiction cycle and highlight evidence-based strategies to help prevent relapse.

Whether you’re a healthcare professional, educator, community advocate, or just interested in learning more, this session will offer valuable insights and practical takeaways.

📅 January 12, 2026
⏰ 12 PM ET
💻 Webinar | Free to attend

🔗 Register here: https://vpgh.jotform.com/253373742135961

12/19/2025

In the last year, despite age restrictions, 1 in 6 adolescents have gambled!

🛑 This holiday season, don’t contribute to a statistic.

As you shop for your last-minute gifts, and remember that lottery tickets aren’t for kids!

12/17/2025

🚀 An exciting opportunity at Virginia Commonwealth University!

Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health/VCU is seeking a Postdoctoral Innovation Fellow (Health Sciences) to support interdisciplinary, health-focused innovation through design thinking, research and experiential learning!

🔗 Learn more and apply here: https://vcujobs.com/jobs/postdoctoral-innovation-fellow-health-sciences-vcu-main-campus-virginia-united-states-mcv-main-campus

12/15/2025

Kick off 2026 by participating in this important conversation about the gamblification of ordinary life in this free webinar on January 8th!

🔗 Register today: b882b2e8-ed34-40c7-9f2b-129d424a4964@620ae5a9-4ec1-4fa0-8641-5d9f386c7309?fbclid=IwY2xjawOtQqlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFicUkxcDJrOGdDenQxNkVPc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHrOJWU8ZN9QFcIx2HYZ3rUuO7HH4_ZUbysIZLs5ntfZRmJv-xtwdWoU9Od2U_aem_9HA63drotZPMJsukCZkfBQ" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/b882b2e8-ed34-40c7-9f2b-129d424a4964@620ae5a9-4ec1-4fa0-8641-5d9f386c7309?fbclid=IwY2xjawOtQqlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFicUkxcDJrOGdDenQxNkVPc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHrOJWU8ZN9QFcIx2HYZ3rUuO7HH4_ZUbysIZLs5ntfZRmJv-xtwdWoU9Od2U_aem_9HA63drotZPMJsukCZkfBQ

Free Webinar‼️

VPGH and Virginia Dept. of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) are partnering to host Gamblification: The Rise of Nontraditional Betting Platforms with Drs Jeff Marotta and Glenn Yamagata of Problem Gambling Solutions, and Dr. Andrea Dassopoulos of University of Las Vegas. You can find more details in the registration link.

Event Details
📅Date: Thursday, January 8th, 2026
⏰Time: 12:00 - 1:30 PM
📍Registration Link: b882b2e8-ed34-40c7-9f2b-129d424a4964@620ae5a9-4ec1-4fa0-8641-5d9f386c7309" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/b882b2e8-ed34-40c7-9f2b-129d424a4964@620ae5a9-4ec1-4fa0-8641-5d9f386c7309

12/10/2025

Scratchers for kids? Scratch that idea. 🎁 🛑

This holiday season, we're joining the Virginia Lottery in reminding everyone that lottery tickets are not appropriate gifts for anyone under 18.

What may seem like a harmless stocking stuffer can actually expose kids to gambling at an early age and increase the risk of future problem gambling.

🔗 Thank you to WVVA News for shining the spotlight on this important campaign: www.wvva.com/2025/12/08/scratchers-kids-scratch-that-idea-adults-warned-against-giving-lottery-tickets-children/