RALEIGH – Executive director of the North Carolina Education Lottery Alice Garland received national recognition today for her leadership expanding responsible gaming efforts across the United States.

The Don Hulen Award for Advocacy was conferred by the National Council on Problem Gambling. Garland is the first lottery or gaming industry professional to earn the honor, which was presented to her at the 30th National Conference on Problem Gambling in Tarrytown, NY. The conference provides information on prevention, treatment and responsible gaming.

Garland pioneered a program to share responsible gaming training resources developed in North Carolina with other U.S. lotteries. The program was embraced and advanced by NASPL, the U.S. lottery industry's professional association.

“Alice’s leadership in responsible gaming resonates across the country,” said Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling. "She has helped set the standard for the lottery industry."

Her vision led to a broader discussion about the active role lotteries must play in responsible gaming and new partnerships with advocacy groups. From those collaborations, NASPL launched a program to implement best practices in all member jurisdictions and added responsible gaming components to its national seminars.

"We can balance our mission to raise money for good causes with our responsibility to look after the interests of players," Garland said. "Everyone who works at a lottery – whether they work in sales, security, advertising or any other department – has a role to play in sustaining that effort."

While the lottery has always encouraged responsible play, developing a robust responsible gaming program became a top priority when Garland rose to the lottery’s top leadership post in 2010. Under her direction the lottery has obtained Level 3 certification under the World Lottery Association's Responsible Gaming Framework, dedicated a new position to support the program, and has required all employees and retailers to undergo training.

The N.C. Education Lottery began in 2006 and now raises more than half a billion dollars a year for education. For more information, visit nclottery.com and click on the "For Education" tab.