ASSIST: How to Help a Loved One with a Gambling Problem Without Losing Yourself
Now Available on Amazon
(Los Angeles, CA - March 17, 2026) – In recognition of Problem Gambling Awareness Month, Anita Ondine Smith has released ASSIST: How to Help a Loved One with a Gambling Problem Without Losing Yourself, a timely new book for the millions of people impacted not only by problem gambling, but by the emotional fallout that reaches every corner of a family.
Wife of former NBA player Randy Livingston, Smith brings a deeply personal perspective to an issue too often discussed only through the lens of the person struggling with addiction. ASSIST shifts the focus to the people standing beside them: the spouses, partners, parents, children, friends, coaches, and colleagues who are often left carrying the fear, confusion, secrecy, and exhaustion that problem gambling creates.
Part compassionate guide and part practical roadmap, the book offers support for those trying to help someone they love without losing their own stability in the process. Readers will learn how to recognize warning signs, start productive conversations without triggering defensiveness, understand treatment and recovery options, set healthy boundaries, navigate denial and relapse, support at-risk young people, safeguard their own well-being, and decide when to keep fighting for the relationship or step back.
Smith’s insight comes from extensive research, science-backed findings, and lived experience. She supported her husband through his recovery from gambling addiction, giving the couple a firsthand understanding of both sides of gambling harm: the person gambling in an unhealthy way, and the person beside them, trying to help them get help.
“You cannot control someone else’s gambling,” said Randy Livingston. “But you can change how you respond, and that can change everything. Anita and I have used my journey with gambling addiction to help families have proactive, informed conversations about gambling. Some battles are too big to face alone. You need help, and this book fills a critical gap in the recovery process.”
“When I was navigating Randy’s gambling addiction, I searched for guidance and found almost nothing for the people trying to help,” said Anita Ondine Smith. “There are resources for the person experiencing harm from gambling, but very few tools exist for the people supporting them. I wrote this book to be the book I wish I had at the time, and to help other families now facing harm from gambling. If someone you love is gambling and you’re worried their behavior is becoming unhealthy, this book is for you.”
Smith and Livingston both serve as Responsible Gaming Ambassadors for FanDuel, and they also created Trusted Voices: Conversations About Betting, a parent-focused resource hub designed to encourage informed, honest conversations about gambling and its risks.
