NY to Require Better Signs for Compulsive Gamblers

State voters this month approved a constitutional amendment authorizing up to seven more Las Vegas-style casinos

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed legislation to put up better signs at gambling facilities to notify compulsive gamblers where to get help.

The new law, signed this week, is scheduled to take effect in 120 days and requires posting the signs prominently "within a reasonable distance" of each entrance and exit.

Sponsors say it revises the existing requirement, which resulted in haphazard and inconsistent signs, resulting in little use of the state's 24-hour helpline.

The state Council on Problem Gambling reported that the line received only 1,449 calls in 2011 although about 1 million New Yorkers have been identified with a gambling problem.

State voters this month approved a constitutional amendment authorizing up to seven more Las Vegas-style casinos, which Cuomo advocated for economic development.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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