Brianne Doura-Schawohl, who was recently named by the National Institute of Lobbying and Ethics a Top 100 Lobbyist, announced the launch of her own consulting firm, which will focus on promoting policies regarding responsible gambling. The firm’s main goal will be to drive initiatives such as legislation, public health, regulation, and community action, all related to gambling.
Doura-Schawohl Consulting Will Be Based in the DC Beltway
The company’s name is Doura-Schawohl Consulting and will be based in the DC Beltway. In a statement, Doura-Schawohl said that the main motive behind opening the firm was the pandemic and the effects it had on problem gambling. She said that both state and federal governments have devoted little time and resources to gambling problem research and prevention, even though the online wagering industry has expanded a lot.
A new analysis even projects that both online sportsbooks and online casinos in the US will rise lot by 2025. That increase in wagering can already be spotted, especially in states such as New Jersey, where the sports betting handle for September topped $1 billion for the first time in history.
Doura-Schawohl added that it is a real pleasure to “champion this public health issue” under her own wing. She also said that even dough her consulting firm will be based in the DC Beltway, it will operate globally.
Years of Working Experience Led to This Moment
The main attribute that Doura-Schawohl has, is the fact that she has over 10 years of working experience with companies and organizations that are related to reducing gambling harm. She worked as Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling’s director of policy and communications and was National Council on Problem Gambling’s legislative director.
Most recently, Doura-Schawohl worked as the vice president for US policy and strategic development of EPIC Risk Management.
Apart from being named in the list of Top Lobbyists in 2021, she was listed as one of the 25 people to watch in 2022 by the Global Gaming Business.
In a testimonial, the executive director of NCPG, Keith Whyte, stated that Doura-Schawohl is one of the most passionate and most hard-working advocates for gambling harm as she has an “unprecedented range of experience.”
As data by the NCPG suggests, about 2 million adult Americans, which equals to around 1% of the population, meet the gambling harm criteria annually. The APA estimates that the number of people who are suffering from a gambling problem and will seek help is fairly low – 1 in 10.
Moreover, the Council thinks that around $7 billion are spent on problem gambling-related costs, such as healthcare and law enforcement, bankruptcy fillings, job losses, etc.