Massachusetts Built an App for the Gamblers Who Aren't Ready to Call Yet

Massachusetts announced last week that it has launched a free mobile app for people struggling with gambling, a tool the state describes as a first step for those who are not ready to call a helpline or sit in a counselor's office. The app, called Evive, was released by the Department of Public Health's Office of Problem Gambling Services at the close of September to coincide with National Recovery Month.

The pitch is deliberately low-threshold. According to the department, Evive is "designed for people who may not yet feel ready for clinical services but are seeking a safe, supportive way to start making changes." It bundles daily check-ins, progress tracking, evidence-based lessons, podcasts, and peer support features — the kind of structure that a weekly appointment cannot provide at 2 a.m. It is available on iOS and Android and is currently English-only; the state's gambling helpline continues to answer in English, Spanish, and other languages at 800-327-5050.

A Door, Not a Replacement

Victor Ortiz, director of the Office of Problem Gambling Services, framed the launch as the product of a decade of listening. "For 10 years, we've listened closely to people living this experience," he said. "They've told us, time and again, that support needs to be there around the clock." He was explicit that the app is not meant to supplant the phone line: "It doesn't replace the helpline — it extends it."

The timing is not incidental. Massachusetts legalized casino gambling in 2015, and the market has migrated steadily from casino floors to phones, where betting is available every hour of every day. DPH chose the football-season launch on purpose, describing it as a stretch when gambling engagement rises sharply. Ortiz put the rationale bluntly: "Technology is a vehicle for people to gain access to gambling; we felt strong that we needed to be able to match that."

The launch arrives against a contested backdrop. A federal class-action lawsuit filed in Massachusetts in early October alleges that Boston-based DraftKings used artificial intelligence to target problem gamblers. Meanwhile, some in the industry continue to press the state to legalize online casino gambling, an expansion lawmakers have shown little appetite for this session.

For anyone who has watched gambling disorder go under-treated, the gaps Evive leaves open are as telling as the ones it closes. There is no FDA-approved medication for gambling disorder; the strongest evidence sits with forms of cognitive behavioral therapy delivered by trained clinicians, which is precisely the service an app cannot replace. For people seeking gambling addiction treatment, an app is a bridge to that care, not a substitute for it — and a state that launches a bridge should be asked how many people it can carry across.