Change The Game: Addressing Youth Gambling Through A Public Awareness Campaign

Background:

Recent research shows that males age 18-24 are at the highest risk of problem gambling, but females are also at risk. What is potentially laying the framework around this epidemic is that mobile apps and video games played by young people aren’t all that different from actual gambling. Research shows that these kinds of games can lead to future problem gambling habits. Furthermore, research exercises and a survey conducted amongst 24K+ Ohioans showed the following statistics:

• 15% of Ohio Youth ages 12-17 are gambling, and 3% of them are experiencing negative consequences from gambling.
• Children introduced to gambling by age 12 are 4x more likely to develop a gambling problem.
• 5% of 14-21 year-olds are at risk for problem gambling.
• Many gaming apps are marketed to 2-17 year-olds.

Program background:

To help address this issue, Ohio For Responsible Gambling (led by the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services)launched anew campaign, titled Change The Game Ohio, that targets influencers of youth, including parents, teachers, and other individuals that interact with teens and children on a daily basis, communicating the dangers of gambling at an early age and how they can address these issues with the young people in their lives. Introduced through a campaign website (ChangeTheGameOhio.Org), influencers are offered statistics that educate them on the issue at hand, along with information on forms of gambling that youth are engaging with, as well as warning signs and consequences that can be recognized to help prevent consequences of problem gambling before it is too late.

Evaluation Methods and Results:

The website is equipped with toolkits for educators and parents, allowing them to inform themselves on the problem, as well as tactics to facilitate discussions and exercises with children and teens who may be engaging in gambling behaviors in new digital environments. There are also tools to share with youth, as well as an advocacy toolkit, equipped with educational tools and helpful resources to address those that may be in need of support. Just launched in March of 2019, we will be gauging our success through site traffic, downloads, engagement amongst partners, and other metrics offered through our online data.

Conclusions:

With males age 18-24 being at the highest risk of problem gambling, there must be a link to the activities and behaviors they are engaging in before becoming an adult. By addressing these gambling behaviors early on, we are working to help prevent problem gambling in the future by educating young individuals on the realities, the warning signs and the consequences around the issue of problem gambling.

Implications for research and/or practice:

It is critical to utilize research to drive practices in how we address specific populations that may be at risk of addictive behaviors, specifically around problem gambling. If addressing these issues early on in the individual’s life, we can help prevent future consequences.