For over a year now, gambling helplines across the US, including the national 1-800-GAMBLER, have been struggling with a high volume of prank calls. This is apparently the result of online influencers recording pranks and posting the results to their social feeds in the name of engagement.
Some of these videos don’t depict actual helpline calls but are staged skits. However, the resulting uptick in copycat pranks has put unnecessary pressure on direly underfunded helpline resources.
Every time the videos resurface, helpline specialists are left to deal with the fallout. While seemingly funny to some, the pranks have significant consequences for the helplines and, indirectly, the gamblers they’ve been established to help. For one, dealing with repeated prank calls can demoralize those looking to help. The added traffic can also mean wait times for callers who genuinely need it.
Posting helpline calls online for yuks could damage the helpline network’s credibility, making it less likely someone who needs help with responsible gambling will reach out. Making problem gambling the butt of a joke can equally increase the stigma surrounding it, making it harder for sufferers to ask for needed assistance.
The potential impacts concern the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), which operates the National Problem Gambling Helpline (1-800-GAMBLER).
In an interview, the NCPG’s director of communications, Cait Huble, told Bonus that spikes in “non-target calls” (meaning those unrelated to the helpline’s purpose) create several challenges.
It’s a very underfunded system already. They’re getting a lot of legitimate calls and people actively need help, and it just takes away resources. When it’s a prank call, the operator obviously doesn’t know that and can’t assume or respond in a way that quickly moves the call forward. They have to dedicate the same amount of resources, energy, and time, just like it’s a traditional ask for help.
The risk of reputational damage creates extra worry, Huble added.
How that impacts the trust and credibility of the network, and if that is likely to discourage people from calling, obviously that’s something we’re really concerned about.
TikTok supercut of Twitch prank wreaks havoc in Florida
The prank call problem plaguing Gambling helplines surfaced briefly in gambling media in early 2024 but garnered no follow-up nor mainstream media attention.
My former Catena Media colleague and PlayUSA columnist Steve Friess broke the story when he published 1-800-GAMBLER Has A TikTok Problem. The column focused on prank calls linked to a TikTok video posted by LosPollosTV, an online streamer known for gambling, video games, and comedy.
The two-minute video is a supercut of a much longer Twitch stream LosPollosTV shared at least two years ago. In the video, he calls 1-800-GAMBLER after losing money at an online casino.
The original feed is no longer on Twitch—LosPollosTV seemingly abandoned the platform for Kick—but a heavily edited 12-minute version later appeared on YouTube. While that version only amassed a few thousand views, LosPollosTV put the condensed version on TikTok, which then went semi-viral.
As a result, other pranksters began inundating the national helpline with calls.
As Friess reported, the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling (FCCG), which addresses rollover calls from 1-800-GAMBLER alongside an internal helpline, experienced substantial consequences. At the time, FCCG executive director Jennifer Kruse told Friess more than half (46) of the hotline calls received that weekend were pranks.
In his piece, Friess argued that, despite appearances, LosPollosTV’s stream was likely the result of a scripted skit rather than a legitimate call experience. However, as he added, whether it’s real or not makes little difference once social content goes viral.
As Friess wrote:
Now there’s this video out there beating up on a free hotline, and his viewers want in on the gag. Uh oh.
Prank calls overwhelm already overburdened helplines
Unfortunately, when prank calls start to spike due to new content or a video revived by the algorithm, helplines can be quickly overwhelmed.
Huble told Bonus that individual contact centers are often overburdened, especially in smaller states.
If they’re getting, you know, 10, 15, 20 prank calls a day obviously, that wears on the system. It also wears on the operator answering calls. It’s hard to continue to put out that same level of service when it’s just the same thing over and over and over, but they’re not able to make that decision. They need to respond in a consistent, supportive manner.
Speaking with the Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling’s (LACG) executive director, Don Pledger, and its director of helpline operations, Greg Below, we heard much the same.
Pledger told Bonus that his team had witnessed how things could snowball from the inside. When pranks start coming in at a high volume, he said it can overburden a team.
When these prank calls come in and start to snowball, it overwhelms. There can be a lot of anxiety trying to figure out, ‘Is this an authentic call?’
Below believes the instant gratification associated with social media contributes to the prank trend. He said content creators can start a prank call, do a live feed, instantly receive feedback, and boost engagement.
People are commenting. The energy is so fast-paced… So you can get gratification instantly and also boost ratings.
Helpline specialists train for new unknown
Overall, gambling helplines expect more calls around special dates and events, like the NCAA March Madness tournaments that kicked off last week, Below said.
Unfortunately, along with legitimate increases, helplines can receive more pranks during these periods. However, when it comes to social media, where popular videos can intermittently resurface, the timing of call spikes is a lot harder to predict.
Regardless, Below, who started at LACG 20 years ago as a helpline specialist, said staff trains to build rapport with callers and provide better emotional support.
Still, when these anomalies occur, said Pledger, it can challenge helpline specialists’ training. As a result, they’ve started coaching their staff to prepare for the unexpected so they can “keep themselves centered.”
Pledger said something that has also helped is better communication between helpline affiliates. When one location sees prank calls start to spike, they send out an email with the details of the particulars so that other sites can prepare for any related spikes.
Another thing that we have gotten pretty skilled at is when a prank call does come through, communicating with the whole group… We’ve seen that get stronger across helplines across the nation.
TikTok, NCPG team up to deplatform pranks
Unfortunately, the helpline’s prank problem isn’t a platform-specific issue, said Huble. The videos seem to have popped up anywhere people benefit from increased social engagement, which makes combatting them more challenging.
However, Huble said that what has been platform-dependent is their response to the problem.
One thing I will say about TikTok is they are the only platform that explicitly and proactively reached out to us and have taken steps to try and offer some tools to the contact centers, to NCPG specifically, to help minimize those videos.
Huble told Bonus that TikTok set the NCPG up with verified access to the platform’s safety enhancement tool. As a result, she said they can report videos “much faster than just hitting that report button as a user.”
Depending on the video, TikTok may respond by pulling it, reducing its reach, or, where appropriate, age-gating the content. So far, she said, they typically see a response within 30-40 minutes.
Forty-two minutes was the longest before someone responded. That’s an action that is hugely helpful. So we do appreciate that they’re taking proactive efforts.
The social platform also worked with NCPG to build gambling-specific consumer protection pages in the US and Canada. The pages present the helpline in a positive light and appear to users based on their use of gambling-related words.
Medium is the message
With problem gambling, it’s critical to meet people where they are, Huble said.
We find meeting consumers where they’re at on the channels they’re already using is the most effective way to increase awareness of the helpline…Anywhere young consumers interact with media—if they’re getting gambling messaging on those platforms, they should also get RG and 1-800-GAMBLER messaging.
In addition to working with TikTok, the NCPG has instituted additional network-wide training for helpline staff to ensure operators feel supported. They’ve also integrated some technology to help when calls overwhelm a contact center, but what that looks like varies by state.
As awareness grows, call volumes follow
A while back, the NCPG commissioned a survey that found fewer than half of Americans knew where to access gambling-related help—ensuring that changes, she said, is an NCPG priority.
At the same time, Huble told Bonus that the council expects that as awareness grows, non-target calls will increase, too. Prank calls, however, are different from those looking for gambling app support or lottery numbers.
Huble also said none of these issues are unique to NCPG or 1-800-GAMBLER. She suggested that unaffiliated helplines have likely experienced similar growth patterns and struggles.
All in all, 1-800-GAMBLER’s affiliate network is adapting well, she added.
As we’re growing and learning, our contact centers have been extraordinarily receptive to changes and working with us to make sure that we’re managing the growth in a balanced way.
Huble would like to see other platforms be as proactive in education and protecting the public as TikTok has been.
When there’s something a little bit less savory or more problematic, there’s a tool for reporting that and getting really swift action. I think that’s been a game changer in terms of limiting the reach of those things that could lead to those unnecessary spikes, like Pennsylvania and Louisiana have seen.
Huble also said that despite the jump in pranks and other non-target calls, the NCPG wants the public to know that the helpline is a tool for accessing help for gambling problems available to anyone. You don’t have to be the one with the gambling problem yourself, she added.
We are seeing an increase in non-target calls. But under no circumstances do we want to discourage anyone from calling if they feel like they have a genuine question or need help. We want people to know it’s a confidential, safe space to access care.
Pranks boost engagement but have real-life consequences
Through speaking to Bonus about the joke calls, Pledger hopes pranksters realize the laughs have consequences.
It’s harmful in two ways. It’s harmful to people who really need the help, because they may not get answered or answered as quickly. Or they get a help helpline specialist who’s trying to gather their thoughts again. The other way it’s dangerous is to our team. It can be emotionally harmful to our team members. These are people who have passion for what they’re doing. This isn’t just some complaint line for a product, for Amazon or something. These people really believe in making a difference, and they are.
Below adds that people are just doing their everyday jobs. They want to do good in communities and make a difference in people’s lives.
Gambling has affected so many people. So many people have lost their lives due to gambling, they’ve lost families… When people prank call and take up valuable time, it’s keeping someone else from getting the help they need. It’s also impacting that person coming into work every day wanting to do good… Keep those things in mind before you decide to make a prank call.
Along with those quoted directly in this piece, Bonus would like to thank Josh Ercole of the Council on Compulsive Gambling for Pennsylvania (CCGP) for his help. Our decision to revisit the prank phenomenon began as a question about the unusually high number of “Other” calls in Pennsylvania’s 2024 helpline data. As CCGP’s executive director, Ercole’s insight, contacts, and support were invaluable.
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