Small, unlovely, and pointed at one thing.
Four people started answering a phone line in a spare room in Dayton in 2019. The work has not changed shape since: raise the alarm early, and get the person on the other end of the line to someone who can actually help. Ninety-four cents of every dollar goes to programs.
No operator money
Not sponsorship, not settlements, not grants. If it came from the product, we don't take it.
The number always first
Every page carries the helpline above whatever we want from you. Awareness that doesn't route people is decoration.
Stories on the teller's terms
Anonymity by default, written consent always, removal within a day on request, and never paid for.
Small and unlovely
94 cents of the dollar into programs. No galas, no ambassadors, no rebrands.
Where the money went in 2025
| Program | Share | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Helpline & referral desk | 41% | $1,148,000 |
| School and campus awareness | 24% | $672,000 |
| Direct assistance grants | 18% | $504,000 |
| IRL Stories program | 11% | $308,000 |
| Administration and fundraising | 6% | $168,000 |
How we got here
Four people, a spare room in Dayton, and a phone line answered in the evenings.
First school program. The referral desk goes to seven days a week.
Board votes unanimously to refuse all operator and affiliate funding, in writing, permanently.
IRL Stories launches. Coverage reaches 38 states.
Family track expands; 24-hour coverage on the desk becomes the year's single funding goal.
Common questions
Yes. Gambling disorder is the one behavioural addiction recognised in the DSM-5, and it responds to treatment — cognitive behavioural therapy and peer support both have real evidence behind them. It is not a discipline problem.
The line is not the amount but the control: whether you can stop when you plan to, whether you hide it, and whether it is eating money or time promised elsewhere. The signs page walks through it.
No. Most people who bet are unharmed, and we do not campaign for prohibition. We object to a product designed for continuous play being sold to people it is measurably harming, without a properly funded way out.
Never — not sponsorship, not settlements, not “responsible gambling” grants. We would rather be smaller than compromised.
Better than intention alone, and worse than people hope on its own. Treat it as a lock, not a cure: complete it on every channel at once, pair it with blocking software and a bank-level block, and get human support alongside it.
94 cents of every dollar goes to programs, the referral desk being the largest single line. Audited statements are available on request.