For the second consecutive year, MNAPG received the Affiliate Newsletter Award for Northern Light, our quarterly newsletter. The award recognizes an “outstanding problem gambling-related newsletter.” Northern Light has earned several national awards since its inception in 2010. The newsletter seeks to educate readers about the latest trends in problem gambling, treatment and prevention, as well as provide updates on the organization’s outreach efforts and highlight stories of hope in recovery.
MNAPG also received the Affiliate People’s Choice Award for our “Jon’s Story” graphic campaign. The award recognizes “an outstanding print problem gambling or responsible gambling-related awareness message.” “Jon’s Story” employed creative graphics to follow the journey of “Jon” from the time he started gaming as a kid to when he developed a gambling problem in college to his ultimately finding treatment and recovery. The attractive, eye-catching graphics convey a serious message in a way that’s attractive to a younger audience.
“We devote considerable time and resources into our communication tools, so we’re thrilled to see our work recognized at a national level,” says Susan Sheridan Tucker, MNAPG executive director. “I am grateful to my team for their contributions in creating these useful resources that help raise the visibility of gambling disorder in Minnesota.”
MNAPG hosted the Minnesota Conference on Problem Gambling on September 19 at the Hilton/Minneapolis Bloomington. Attendees included gambling counselors, recovering gamblers, program directors and others.
Sonja Mertz, MNAPG community educator, and volunteer Dennis Alfton prepare to welcome conference registrants.
Dr. Jeremiah Weinstock with Susan Sheridan Tucker prior to his presentation that examined suicide in the context of those with gambling disorder.
The unique problem gambling challenges faced by the Lao community were discussed with Cat Nakhornsak and Adina Black.
Judith Glynn discusses ways to protect family.
An expert panel discussed the current state of problem gambling and the crucial next steps needed to effect change. From left to right: Ange Hwang, Lucas Patterson, Bili Banjoko and moderator Adina Black.
Jim Huh, former financial adviser and a gambler in recovery, shared his personal story and ideas on limiting the financial damage of gambling disorder.
Randy Stinchfield accepts the 2024 MNAPG Service Award.
Dave Yeager explained why service members and veterans are at particularly high risk for developing gambling disorder.
Three new board members joined MNAPG in July. Each brings a unique background and perspective to our organization. Northern Light asked them about their experience and what they hope to contribute.
Joan Schimml,Director of Public Affairs for the Minnesota Lottery
NL: Can you share a little bit about your background?
JS: As the director of Public Affairs for the Minnesota Lottery, I oversee external and internal communications, social responsibility and legislative affairs. Prior to joining the Minnesota Lottery, I held leadership positions at organizations in various industries (agency, association, corporate, government and nonprofit), including senior director of communications, community relations and marketing for YMCA of the North; director of global public relations and community relations for Trane and Thermo King; and more.
I’ve been very intentional about working in various industries. When I was younger and worked at a PR agency, I had a mentor who said, “When I look back on my career, I wish I would have worked in every industry so I could understand how to best communicate and engage with different audiences.” I really took her advice to heart.
NL: What prompted you to join the board?
JS: The Minnesota Lottery strives to increase awareness of responsible gambling practices, problem gambling warning signs and how to get help if you or a loved one needs it. Working with partners like MNAPG, I look forward to advancing our lottery’s work to serve the community by increasing awareness and providing resources about problem gambling.
NL: What do you hope you can contribute to the board and the mission?
JS: The Minnesota Lottery is committed to preventing problem gambling and encouraging responsible gambling habits. Along with sharing the efforts of the Minnesota Lottery and connecting them with other organizations supporting the industry, I hope my commitment to community service and expertise, as well as my experience in communications, helps advance the work of MNAPG.
NL: Are there particular areas within problem gambling that are of special interest to you?
JS: Increasing awareness of healthy and informed play.
Lisa Vig, Gambling Addiction Counselor at Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota
NL: Can you share a little bit about your background?
LV: I’ve been a gambling counselor since 1991 and am also a licensed addiction counselor, certified international gambling counselor and board-approved clinical consultant. I have 30 years of experience at Lutheran Social Services and have been a provider in Minnesota for close to two decades, as I live in Fargo along the state border.
I have developed an online workbook for adults wanting to confidentially and privately explore their gambling through a program called “Gambler Healing.” I have also provided clinical consultation to providers in Minnesota to help them with problem solving and to be successful in their treatment efforts.
NL: What prompted you to join the board?
LV: I love the providers in Minnesota. Susan does an amazing job and I just wanted to be part of that group, to expand my knowledge base and to offer insights from my experience.
NL: What do you hope you can contribute to the board and the mission?
LV: My 30 years of experience is a long time and I hope that’s valuable in some capacity. I also hope that I can help encourage new ventures and new opportunities that the alliance might want to be part of.
NL: Are there particular areas within problem gambling that are of special interest to you?
LV: I’m concerned about the rapid expansion of gambling and the associated public health concerns. I would like to be part of those solutions. I also hope that I can inspire others to get involved with this work. It’s very rewarding.
Amanda Jackson,Gambling Manager, Spring Lake Park Lions Club
NL: Can you share a little bit about your background?
AJ: After working part-time selling pull tabs, I became a gambling manager with the Spring Lake Park Lions in 2013 and am an active and proud Lions Club member. The funds we earn from our gambling operation are donated directly to the community. As I learned more about the industry, I joined the board of Allied Charities of Minnesota, a trade organization that serves as an advocate and resource to licensed Minnesota charities. I’m currently the vice president of Allied Charities and enjoy all the opportunities over the years I’ve had to advocate for charities doing great work for their missions and communities.
NL: What prompted you to join the board?
AJ: I met with Susan Sheridan Tucker about MNAPG and problem gambling. I realized right away that I have a lot to learn and joining the board will be an excellent opportunity for me to learn and become more involved in the mission.
NL: What do you hope you can contribute to the board and the mission?
AJ: I hope to share my perspective, experience and knowledge about the charitable gambling industry with MNAPG, and learn how to bring awareness to those I work with directly.
NL:Are there particular areas within problem gambling that are of special interest to you?
AJ: I’m interested in the people and the players. I hope that after learning more about problem gambling and the resources available that I’ll be able to help someone. Addiction comes in all different forms and giving someone help and hope is a very important first step.
For the second consecutive year, MNAPG received the Affiliate Newsletter Award for Northern Light, our quarterly newsletter. The award recognizes an “outstanding problem gambling-related newsletter.” Northern Light has earned several national awards since its inception 2010. The newsletter seeks to educate visitors and readers about the latest trends in problem gambling, treatment and prevention, as well as provide updates on the organization’s outreach efforts and highlight stories of hope in recovery.
MNAPG also received the Affiliate People’s Choice Award for our “Jon’s Story” graphic campaign. The award recognizes “an outstanding print problem gambling or responsible gambling-related awareness message.” “Jon’s Story” employed creative graphics to follow the journey of “Jon” from the time he started gaming as a kid to when he developed a gambling problem in college to his ultimately finding treatment and recovery. The attractive, eye-catching graphics convey a serious message in a way that’s attractive to a younger audience.
From Left: Adina Black, Don Feeney, Jeff Hudson, Susan Sheridan Tucker, Katie Richard, Sonja Mertz
“We devote considerable time and resources into our communication tools, so we’re thrilled to see our work recognized at a national level,” says Susan Sheridan Tucker, MNAPG executive director. “I am grateful to my team for their contributions in creating these useful resources that help to raise the visibility of gambling disorder in Minnesota.”
Sonja Mertz, community educator, periodically reports on MNAPG outreach efforts. Here’s her latest account.
Sonja Mertz, Community Educator
Part of my role as community educator includes providing presentations at professional conferences. Audiences at these events include mental health and substance use professionals, educators, administrators and other people who are familiar with, or who have heard of, problem gambling and gambling addiction. At the end of each presentation, I offer time for comments or questions. It’s common for this request to be met with blank stares. Occasionally, someone will ask a question or provide a comment about the gambling behavior they have seen in their line of work.
This past year, my audiences have expanded to include middle school students, gaming industry staff, recovery center staff, people in the military and clients in outpatient addiction recovery. This increased diversity of the folks listening to my presentations has increased audience participation.
With middle school students, the feedback lands in completely opposite directions. They either stare blankly at me and go completely quiet when I ask if they have any questions or they are fully engaged and gladly offer questions or comments. It was during a presentation in Babbit that an eighth grader informed me that an image that I had been using to talk about loot boxes in video games was incorrect. I made sure to change it as soon as possible!
During my presentation at the Military Mental Health Conference at Camp Ripley, a casino employee challenged my suggestion of using cash as a way to reduce the harm of gambling. She talked about how some of her customers bring in stacks of cash and stay until the stack is wiped out. She also expressed her concern about customers who she knows are spending all of their paychecks at the casino and wanted to know what she, as a casino employee, could do.
It was during my most recent presentation to clients of an outpatient treatment group that I was able to witness the direct impact of the information that I push out to those who will listen. These are people who are living with addictions and are going through the recovery process. They have experienced the trauma, mental health issues and co-occurring disorders that I have so diligently researched. Their stories about when their addictions started, their experience with gambling and their sincere concerns about friends and family who were dealing with gambling addiction have really impacted me.
As sports betting and gambling continue to become normalized and Minnesotans recognize how gambling behavior impacts their communities, the need for reliable information increases. The MNAPG staff is seeing a sharp increase in requests for presentations. I am already scheduled in the next few months to present to older adults at senior centers and social services staff at their annual training. I look forward to receiving more feedback from people in the real world – those who are directly impacted by gambling.
MNAPG added TikTok to the ranks of its social media channels last fall. Northern Light sat down with Rhiana Stark of Evans-Stark Design, to learn more about this effort.
Rhiana Stark, Marketing Specialist
NL: When did MNAPG gain its presence on TikTok?
RS: Our TikTok was established in September of 2023. Our first video was an introduction to who MNAPG is and what we do.
NL: How many followers do we have to date?
RS: We have 1,783 followers as of July 1, 2024, and we have made 31 posts as of that date.
NL: What are theprimary goals for our TikTok strategy?
RS: There are two primary goals: raising awareness about problem gambling to a young demographic and providing resources for users looking for help.
Raising awareness includes educating younger people about what problem gambling is and what it looks like, how problem gambling is similar to addictions they are more likely to take seriously and have indirect or direct experience with, such as alcohol and drug addiction, and the danger of activities that don’t present as gambling but introduce and encourage gambling behavior, such as lottery tickets and loot boxes. We published MNAPG’s PSA on TikTok that emphasizes the similarity between gambling addiction and other addictions. (See https://www.tiktok.com/@mnapg/video/7303622776265461023.)
As far as providing resources for users that are looking for help, our TikTok content promotes the comparative tool survey [an individual’s betting behavior is compared against the behavior of other Minnesotans], the Minnesota problem gambling helpline, Gamban and BetBlocker, along with mental health-focused meditations and “scrolling breaks.”
NL: What are the demographics we hope to reach with TikTok?
RS: TikTok is a wonderful platform to reach an audience that, prior to our involvement on TikTok, was a little out of reach. The average age of TikTok users is 16–24, which is the general range we hope to reach with our content.
NL: What types of content have you found to be most effective for engaging our audience on TikTok?
RS: Users respond well to new information and TikTok has become a treasure trove for people around the world to learn new things without doing an extensive amount of their own research. When we publish educational content about gambling or gaming we get a lot of “saves,” which means people are bookmarking the video to return to it later or saving it to their phone. We also get a lot of positive engagement with our meditation videos. The dependence that people in my [younger] generation have on their phones is not lost on me. In some ways, I think people are waiting for something like our meditation videos to come up as they scroll to remove them from their content consumption, and I see that in the comments and quality of engagement on those particular videos.
NL: Can you share a particular success story or a campaign that performed exceptionally well on TikTok?
RS: I wish I had a definite and simple answer to this but in reality, most of our campaigns do very well across the board. What I will say is that users on TikTok, especially the younger audience we speak to, are not usually looking for our content. We come up on their feed when they are probably trying to detach and zone out, and we are talking about things that may be difficult, boring or threatening to their way of life. Kids usually don’t want to be told to act with caution, think twice before taking actions online or limit the amount of time they spend doing something that brings them instant gratification.And they let us know in the comments. So, I don’t look at those things to measure our success or impact. I try to read between the lines. I scroll through the resistant-natured comments and once in a while, I’ll find a user that just says “thank you” or if we’re really lucky they’re asking how to get help. So even though we don’t have users overloading our analytics with positive replies, we are a present, consistent, neutral and reliable source of education and resources for those who need help, whenever they’re ready – I think that makes our efforts successful.
NL: What are some of the ways we assess our performance on TikTok?
RS: We measure engagement metrics similar to the way we monitor our other social platforms. This includes how long users are watching our videos, how many likes we’re getting, saves, reposts, shares, etc. We garner an average of 123,000 views per video that we post and promote.
NL: What strategies do we use to grow our follower base on TikTok?
RS: We are still building our community on TikTok, which we try to accomplish alongside our goals of spreading education, awareness and available resources. Our videos are intentionally created to capture the user’s imagination. On a platform where we are competing for views against creators that offer an almost unlimited pool of entertainment, it’s important to create videos that are visually appealing as well as educational and helpful. This is why so many of our videos are animated with graphics that mimic our brand identity and play an engaging sound to accompany the visual components.
Joan Schimml, Director of Public Affairs for the Minnesota Lottery
Lisa Vig, Gambling Addiction Counselor at Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota
Amanda Jackson, Gambling Manager, Spring Lake Park Lions Club
