Massachusetts has introduced Evive, a free mobile app offering people affected by gambling harm a lower-barrier route to support before they are ready to seek clinical services.
The Department of Public Health’s Office of Problem Gambling Services said the app is available on iOS and Android, with daily check-ins, progress tracking, evidence-based lessons and peer-support features. The tools are intended to help users reduce harm, regain control and move toward long-term recovery, including people who feel isolated or are uncertain about pursuing treatment.
Evive is intended to sit alongside, rather than replace, the Massachusetts Problem Gambling Helpline. Victor Ortiz, the office’s director, said the app extends the helpline so people can find support whenever they need it. The helpline is free, confidential and available around the clock at 800-327-5050, with online chat at MAProblemGamblingHelpline.Org; it provides Spanish and other languages, while Evive launched in English only.
The rollout was timed to National Recovery Month in September and the start of football season, a period the department described as bringing significantly higher gambling engagement. Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said meeting people where they are means reaching them on the devices they already carry.
The state has framed the digital service against a shift in gambling access from physical venues to phones. Sports wagering was legalized in Massachusetts in March 2023. The state’s FY24 helpline report recorded 3,280 gambling-related calls, up 5% from the prior year, although 881 of those concerned technical problems with sports-betting mobile apps or platforms. Of all calls, 578, or 18%, resulted in a referral to treatment or other services.
The Office of Problem Gambling Services was created within the department to coordinate prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery support. Its FY24 report said the office had engaged more than 3,000 people and 40 community partners through more than 25 initiatives since 2016.
