In today’s digital age, the allure of online gaming and gambling platforms can be enticing, often leading to harmful consequences for our youth. To help build awareness of these risks, MNAPG has created a toolkit specially designed to help schools raise awareness to students. The dynamic, easy-to-use toolkit helps schools communicate gambling and gaming information in a way that promotes safety and understanding.
The kit is free and includes materials for staff and parents (brochures and handouts, video links, PA announcements and content for parents) and materials for students (handouts, posters, bookmarks, and social media images and content).
Support is provided to participants at no cost, and includes MNAPG staff support and in-person speaker presentations. The kits benefit students, teachers, school counselors, coaches, PTA members and parents. If you’re interested in learning more about the toolkit, please contact Sonja Mertz at smertz@mnapg.org or visit https://school-toolkit.mnapg.org.
The term “community engagement” is something you hear often. But what exactly is it and how can it be applied to problem gambling prevention and treatment?
Northern Light sat down with Adina Black, MNAPG program manager, to better understand community engagement in the context of problem gambling.
NL: How would you define “community engagement?”
AB: Community engagement is about utilizing peoples’ lived experiences to understand the needs and priorities of a community, and to use that knowledge to inform what kind of efforts need to take place. For example, when you think about a business selling a product to a target audience, they have to develop it so it speaks to the audience directly — to make sure it’s what they want and that they’re invested in it. It’s the same with solving community health issues. You want to make sure that whatever solutions, programs and initiatives you’re developing, that the direct audience is going to benefit and partake. I like to use an analogy that illustrates this aspect of community engagement. Suppose someone came to you out of the blue with soup and said, “Take this, it will make you feel better.” You’d be hesitant because you haven’t been told what’s ailing you, if you’ll even like it or have an allergy to it. You’d be asked to take something without the soup giver knowing about your needs or how to address them.
NL: How do you apply this to problem gambling?
AB: If look at problem gambling, you want to include those impacted by the problem. Either people with gambling disorders, those who treat them, or family and friends impacted by people with gambling problems. You want them to be involved and informed to address the problem. Nobody can speak to the problem better than those who have lived experience.
Then you also want to determine the issues that are most impactful and harmful and what resources we can create to meet those needs. For example, is it to create a clinic? And if so, will people feel comfortable going to those services?
NL: Do you feel we’re at a critical point in orchestrating community engagement with problem gambling?
AB: Definitely. We’re at an interesting point in Minnesota right now with so much gambling legislation pending. It feels as though we’re watching a gambling addiction epidemic taking place. We’re at a point where we can really do something. Now is the time to build relationships with the various community organizations that can impact the range of social factors that contribute to problem gambling. They will be integral to preventing and treating the issue as it grows. As the opportunity to gamble expands, we will also notice an increase in those who deal with issues around gambling. It’s important to work collaboratively to get ahead of the storm. What can we put in place for prevention, education and bringing awareness? Are we making sure that people in a position to potential diagnose a gambling problem are screening for the disorder? And for those in the throes of gambling addiction, how can we give them access to treatment?
NL: What can you tell us about current community engagement efforts?
AB: Currently, our work is focused on communities most at risk, such as communities of color, certain ethnic groups and groups catering to young men. These are the groups that are, statistically, most at risk to develop problems with gambling. I’m connecting with several groups that represent and provide services to those communities.
NL: Are there other areas you plan to pursue in the future?
AB: Yes. We plan to connect with groups in religious communities as well as in the corrections arena to help identify more people who are vulnerable or who may be experiencing gambling disorder. We’re also open to hearing feedback from community organizations that we haven’t connected with yet. We’d love to explore new collaborations we can undertake together, better serve the community and ultimately help produce better outcomes for all Minnesotans.
Wanted: community leaders interested in helping to educate and advocate for those in their community experiencing problem gambling.
MNAPG is in the process of organizing problem gambling awareness training sessions for community leaders to whom others turn for advice. The training is free and assists community leaders in helping others find the resources they need if they have a gambling problem.
The goal is to help those who need treatment get it as soon as possible. Research shows that it often takes seven to ten years before someone with a gambling problem seeks help. The earlier someone gets treatment, the lower the likelihood they will endure financial ruin, lose jobs and relationships, or experience a despair that ends in suicide.
In addition to helping people get help, community leaders are also in a position to reduce the stigma associated with gambling addiction. The goal of community leader training is to increase empathy and build knowledge about available resources rather than to provide professional treatment.
MNAPG will be offering the free, six-hour online training in partnership with Jody Bechtold from The Better Institute. Jody is a professional coach, gambling addiction expert, international speaker and trainer, and a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ® certified facilitator.
Those taking the training will learn:
• Who is at risk for gambling disorder.
• The impacts on the family from gambling disorders.
• The often-overlapping occurrence of mental health problems, substance abuse and suicide.
• The need to understand finances in gambling disorders.
• Why it’s important to understand gambling-motivated crime.
• Choices for recovery and healing.
Following completion of the six-hour training, trainees will meet with MNAPG and other trainees for a two-hour in-person session to address questions or concerns. MNAPG’s goal is to build a network of trained leaders around the state to inform what additional resources and training may be needed to build greater awareness about gambling addiction.
Those interested in this training or desiring to learn more should contact Adina Black at asblack@mnapg.org. Remember, this training is offered at no cost.
Sonja Mertz, MNAPG community educator, and volunteer Dennis Alfton prepare to welcome conference registrants.
Cara Macksoud, CEO of Money Habitudes, and Alex De Marco, founder and CEO of MoneyStack, discussed the financial challenges facing problem gamblers. This included bringing awareness of financial counseling resources and tools available to support clinical work with clients, as well as learning how to use an assessment tool to have better conversations about money with clients.
Susan Sheridan Tucker, executive director of MNAPG, welcomes Jeffrey Wasserman (left), judicial outreach and development director for the Delaware Council on Gambling Problems, and Brian Hatch, peer recovery specialist for Bettor Choice. Jeffrey and Brian, cohosts of The Addicted Gambler’s Podcast, made a live recording of the podcast and touched on a wide range of problem gambling issues with an emphasis on lived experience.
Timothy Wong, MD, a professor of Psychiatry at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, gave two presentations. The first looked at cultural values of gambling among Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) that contribute to gambling and problem gambling. The second presentation examined how the rapid expansion of sports betting has and will impact a person’s mind, body and brain functioning.
MNAPG staff gathered at the end of the conference. From left to right:Vicki Stark, contract designer, Sonja Mertz, MNAPG community educator, Bill Stein, contract writer, Susan Sheridan-Tucker, MNAPG executive director, and Eboun Wilbourn, MNAPG operations manager.
If you missed the conference or would like to take another look at a presentation, visit mnapg.org/conference, where you’ll find recordings of most of the presentations.
Over the last six months, we contracted with Preston Spire’s public relations team, One Simple Plan, to increase the visibility of numerous issues pertaining to problem gambling. Since starting this effort, MNAPG has had two op-ed pieces published, one which is circulating among various statewide outlets. This is important, as we want to reach as many Minnesotans as possible. The first piece was published in the Star Tribune and the second in the Duluth News Tribune. MNAPG also received air time on local stations, with interviews on KTTC (Rochester), KARE11 (Twin Cities) and Fox News 9 (Twin Cities). Our media communications can be found at mnapg.org/news.
Working in conjunction with Preston Spire, MNAPG has created public service announcements (PSAs) that can be streamed wherever appropriate. We created a 30-second PSA and a 15-second PSA. Both can be viewed on MNAPG’s YouTube channel.
The goal of the PSAs is to communicate that gambling addiction is as real as any other addiction. The PSAs depict a young man “drinking,” “smoking” and “snorting” a deck of cards and closes with a reminder that there’s help for gambling addiction, that it works and that it’s free.
We plan to post this video frequently on our social media channels. In addition, the Star Tribune will use targeted emails and banner ads to help get these videos in front of the eyes of thousands of Minnesotans. We’d appreciate it if you would share the link mnapg.org/psa to your own networks.
Sonja Mertz, MNAPG community educator, and volunteer Dennis Alfton prepare to welcome conference registrants.
Cara Macksoud, CEO of Money Habitudes, and Alex De Marco, founder and CEO of MoneyStack, discussed the financial challenges facing problem gamblers. This included bringing awareness of financial counseling resources and tools available to support clinical work with clients, as well as learning how to use an assessment tool to have better conversations about money with clients.
Susan Sheridan Tucker, executive director of MNAPG, welcomes Jeffrey Wasserman (left), judicial outreach and development director for the Delaware Council on Gambling Problems, and Brian Hatch, peer recovery specialist for Bettor Choice. Jeffrey and Brian, cohosts of The Addicted Gambler’s Podcast, made a live recording of the podcast and touched on a wide range of problem gambling issues with an emphasis on lived experience.
Timothy Wong, MD, a professor of Psychiatry at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, gave two presentations. The first looked at cultural values of gambling among Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) that contribute to gambling and problem gambling. The second presentation examined how the rapid expansion of sports betting has and will impact a person’s mind, body and brain functioning.
MNAPG staff gathered at the end of the conference. From left to right:
