Not Your Average Gambling Training

Presented by: Lauren Munk

Not Your Average Gambling Training

Lauren Munk, LSW, OCPS IIPrevention Coordinator

Community Health Center725 E. Market St, Akron, OH 44305

330-315-3761lauren.munk@commhealthcenter.org

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Objectives

• Difference between “Problem Gambling” and “Gambling Awareness”

• Have better understanding of what Gambling Awareness is

• How to better infuse Gambling Awareness into already existing programs.

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What is Gambling?

• What words do you think of when you hear the work “Gamble”?

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What is Gambling?• Gambling: The act of risking something of value, including

money and property, on an activity that has an uncertain outcome.

• Problem Gambling: Gambling behavior that results in problems with work, school, family or finances, but does not meet the number of criteria to be recognized as disordered gambling.

• Disordered Gambling: (Formerly known as "Pathological" or "Compulsive" gambling" meets the APA DSM V criteria for the behavioral addiction of Disordered Gambling.

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Group Activity

• 1.Discuss your first memory of gambling and the feelings around it. Who were you with?

• 2. If you won $200,000 how would you feel and what would you do

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The "Juicing" Effect• The excitement feeling you get

• Similar to the feelings of AOD effects

• Now think of your 1st drink of alcohol

• Younger or older than gambling memory?

• Gambling type fundraisers-making it less risky. Take the "juicing" effect out of it.

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3 Important Messages

• 1. Gambling is not a risk free activity• 2. If you choose to gamble, make sure it’s legal• 3. Know how to keep the problem out of

gambling

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Prevention Strategies• Information/Awareness• Education• Alternative Activities• Community Based Process (community

development, capacity building, and institutional change)

• Environmental (social policy)• Problem ID & Referral (early intervention

strategies with high risk populations)

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Prevention Approaches

• Scare Tactics Approach: 1930s-1960s• Information Disseminations: Late 1960s• Affective Educations: Early 1970s• Positive Youth Development: Mid-late 1970s• Comprehensive: Mid 1980’s to present• Outcome Focused: Present

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What are your goals of your prevention program?

• Create awareness of attitudes & behaviors• Delay/prevent onset of risky behaviors• Interrupt progression to higher risk behaviors• Increase “Protective Factors”/Decrease “Risk

Factors”• Develop “Good decision makers.”• Increase capacity across the lifespan• Create healthy citizens, healthy communities

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What is your Population?

• Universal Prevention: (General population)Averting a potential health problems before they start.

• Selected Prevention: (Those at risk) Early Detection & Early Intervention

• Indicated Prevention: (Identified as user/troubled behavior) Minimizing disability & avoiding relapse

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Goals of Gambling Awareness & Education

• Create Awareness:– Of gambling as a “risky behavior” similar to

alcohol use; of gambling attitudes & behaviors• Develop good decision makers• Increase a healthy lifestyle

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Before Gambling Awareness

Entries

No Use Messages, instead of lowering the risk message.

Winning Entry

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After Gambling Awareness

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“Gambling” Fundraiser Type Activities

• Raffles (50/50, Reverse, Chinese, etc.)• Casino Nights (adults vs. kids i.e..prom nights)• Night at the Races• Lottery • Sports betting/Fantasy leagues/March

madness• Pull tabs

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Making Gambling a Low Risk Activity for fundraisers: Things to consider

• Age of those participating? 21 and older?• Under 18? Would you serve alcohol to under 21? • Having alcohol at the event? (Clouds judgment)• Don’t glamorize any winnings-no bells and

whistles• Use monopoly money? Equally divide money or

give prizes instead of $.• Say “Recipient” instead of “Winner”• If a PTA raffle-PTA should sell tickets, not the kids

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Low Risk vs High Risk• Playing for pennies or nickels vs. playing for $5

and up• Giving back the money or evenly distributing vs.

“Big” Winner• Playing for fun vs. playing for money or

something of value• Everyone is a winner vs. 1 winner• Having a family game night• Lottery vs. Internet gambling

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Scenarios

• Put each person from high to low risk

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Views of Gambling Awareness

• Not Anti-Gambling!• Raise Awareness: Not a Risk-Free activity• Movement towards ATODG, not just ATOD• Create/Strengthen Protective Factors• Involve Peer Message• Multiple Strategies/Multiple Targets

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Gambling Awareness Strategies• Have a conversation about gambling• Cultural, family of origin, and personal

experience• Gambling not “good” or “bad”• Some people are more vulnerable than others• Some forms of gambling more dangerous than

others• Gambling and resulting risky behaviors can put

recovery at risk.

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Having a conversation about gambling, can help to increase “Protective Factors”

• In Gambling awareness (and ATOD prevention), people are taught to:

• Make healthy choices• Reduce risk of addiction• Set personal limits• This helps people to feel more empowered,

and better about themselves.

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Protective Factors• PF are conditions that foster health and resiliency

and promote physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well being in the individual.– Having a relationship with a caring adult role model– Being effective in work, play, and relationships– Having healthy expectations and a positive outlook– Using problem solving and critical thinking skills– Earning meaningful rewards– Having knowledge/resources– Having a sense of humor

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Promoting Gambling Awareness• Gambling is comparable to that of substance use• Raise awareness: Schools/agencies, students, clients,

etc..• Infuse gambling: ATODG, gambling can be a high risk

behavior and an addiction• Infuse into substance abuse and mental health

treatment: screenings and assessments• Review policies: schools/agencies/PTA• Advocate for increased funding for prevention,

treatment, research and evaluation.

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Challenges in the school/community

• Lack of class room time (focused on testing)• Lack of available funds for youth gambling

awareness• Lack of knowledge of effective youth gambling

prevention strategies• Any others?

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Infuse Gambling into Education

• English/Literature-Bible• History-Prohibition Era, Religious beliefs

(Bible)• Math-probability and statics• Health Class-when other addictions are

discussed• Biology/science-the brain• Psychology, Sociology, etc..

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The Teen Brain:• http://teenbrain.drugfree.org/• Ken Winters-Teen Brain• How the teen brain develops• Why gambling activities are so seductive for

young people• How gambling, like other addictive behaviors,

can “hijack” and have long term impact on the developing brain.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aiy2bPVfHg8

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Teen Brain• Teen brain development a “work in progress”– Motivation, reward, and risk taking (Early “BIG” Win)– Lag in decision making (particularly in high risk

situations)• ADHD particularly vulnerable group• Increasing impact of internet gambling

- Hyper focus-Locked in-sleep deprivations and adolescent sleep patterns

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Making Gambling a low risk activity• Gamble as a form of recreation, not to make money • Set a limit on how much time and money you will spend and stick to it. • Gambling in a social setting, not alone, and with money you can afford

to lose. • Realize that knowing more won’t guarantee a win.• Don’t play to escape.• Know what’s legal to play in your area.• Understand that everyone loses over time.• Avoid mixing gambling with alcohol or other substances.• Never borrow to play.• Balance recreational gambling with other healthy activities.• Know where to get help. Ohio’s hotline number: 1-800-589-9966

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Factors that put someone at risk for Problem Gambling

• Avoid situations where you are:• Coping with grief, loneliness, anger or

depression:• Under financial pressure or stress;• Recovering from mental health or substance

abuse disorder• Using alcohol or other drugs• Under the legal age to gamble

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Ohio Gambling Study 2012

For every $50.00 of economic benefits, there is $300.00 of “social costs”

These social costs can includes: rise in bankruptcies, foreclosures, divorces, drunk driving, and suicides…Higher rates of serious depression, health care costs from stress and use of alcohol/other drugs to deal with painful situations.

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Conclusion:Raising Awareness

• Not anti-gambling• Support school administration, teachers, counselors,

parent, community• Integration into classes on addictions, math,

history ,English, social sciences, etc..• Review policies on fundraisers, raffles, cards/dice, and

other games of chance• Peer to peer and young to adult• 3 important messages• Multiple strategies/multiple targets

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Thank you!

• Information Courtesy of CT DMHAS Problem Gambling Services 2014

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Resourceshttp://www.playitsafeohio.org/http://www.ct.gov/dmhas/cwp/view.asp?a=2902&q=335212

(Connecticut Government)http://www.ncpgambling.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1

(National Council on PG)http://www.ilostabet.org/http://www.preventionlane.org/ (Lane County, Oregan)http://www.lgrc.us/services/problem-gambling-prevention/

(Lake County, OH)http://youthgambling.com/ (McGill University)