As someone who coaches high school basketball, Randy Livingston knows better than most that some conversations can be difficult to have with young people.
That’s why he wants to help. As a former addict, the ex-NBA star is trying to teach coaches, parents and guardians how to approach conversations around gambling.
Livingston and his wife Anita have now partnered with FanDuel to develop a responsible gambling resource hub.
It is designed to equip adults with the tools and resources to talk to young people about the risks involved, how to recognize warning signs and where to go for support.
Livingston, one of Louisiana’s greatest-ever high school basketball players, suffered major knee injuries during his NBA career. They turned him from a prospect with sky-high expectations to a utility man for 11 seasons.
During that time, Livingston used his income from basketball to feed a crippling gambling addiction that ultimately sent him to rehab in 2017.
Randy Livingston and wife Anita want adults to talk with young people about gambling risks
He is now eight years sober and wants to be an example of what can happen if you let addiction take control of your life.
‘We want it to be easy to navigate for parents, coaches and guardians, and really just raise the awareness of responsible gambling, share some lived experience moments, and just make the conversation comfortable that is traditionally uncomfortable for people to have,’ he told DailyMail.com.
‘I think it would have been great to have a tool like this. I often went for help and there wasn’t really anything available at the time, especially like this.
‘Just to be able to know there’s normal folks, people in higher walks of life, people or athletes that look upon, that have lived experience, that you can draw upon, that not only you can get help, but you can turn things around and have a peaceful and wonderful life.
‘If you’re having a conversation with your son or daughter or another family member about drinking and driving, drugs or peer pressure, you want to have this conversation become comfortable about gambling, because it is something that is quite prevalent now in today’s world.
‘We find that younger kids, if they start gambling at a younger age, are prone to problem gambling. And so I think it’s important that we’re able to have conversations around gambling, and really try to limit the risk and see the warning signs, and to avoid getting to a place where it can be a problem for their loved ones.’
The hub features a video series titled ‘Trusted Voices: Conversations About Betting’, where Livingston and Anita detail his incredible journey from five-star prep phenom to an NBA player struggling with problem gambling.
Livingston also sheds light on the story of his initial exposure to gambling, his rock-bottom moment and his journey to recovery.
Speaking about how Livingston’s addiction affected their family, Anita said: ‘It was very challenging. I hate to use a cliché, but a literal roller coaster ride because some days were great and some days were bad.
Livingston struggled with gambling addiction throughout his career in the NBA
Livingston played for a number of teams as a pro after a glittering Louisiana high school career
‘It kept looping around and around. He would try and get help. He did many times sign self exclusions to stop him being allowed to enter casinos and so forth. But it never really stuck. It might have helped a little but it was not a permanent solution, and it became evident that we needed to take massive action to make this change.
‘That’s why I supported him in doing the 30 day inpatient recovery treatment. I knew he needed professional help. As much as I love him and I wanted to do everything in my power to help, I’m not equipped to fix his problem.
‘What I’m equipped to do is be his cheerleader and his support system, and the person that sticks by him and says, “I’m going to walk this journey with you, and I’m going to be here when you get back”.
‘I think my big message is to people in my shoes, so the spouses, the children, the parents, who are around somebody with a gambling disorder, I want to inspire them to be strong, to help the person take action, to help the person get the help that they need, and to find the resources needed in order to, you know, get get help and get better.’
FanDuel also announced earlier this month that half of their seven million customers engaged with My Spend, a personalized responsible gaming dashboard, during the NFL season.
The tool gives users insights on their deposit and betting activity, including amount deposited and net winnings over the last seven days, four weeks or three months.
It also encourages customers to utilize the existing suite of responsible gaming tools FanDuel offers, including deposit limits and wager limits.
