Students learn about problem gambling

Students learn about problem gambling


ALLISTON - Raising awareness about gambling addiction had Alliston high school students out of the classroom and learning in a different way recently.


Four young actors took to Banting Memorial High School’s stage for 82%, a play put on by the Responsible Gambling Council designed to increase awareness about problem gambling.


The play tells the story of a first-year university student who gets addicted to gambling. Along the way he alienates his friends and eventually has to quit school, move back home with his parents and get a job to pay off his debt.


The actors ended their presentation with a Family Feud-type game. The audience was split in two and students answered questions about the skit and the dangers of gambling.


“It’s good for Grade 11 and 12 students because it’s a university setting and these guys are going to be heading off there,” said BMHS drama teacher Dale Phelps.


Phelps had several reasons for bringing 82% to the Alliston high school.


“As a drama teacher I want to show the power of live theatre to bring a message to students,” said Phelps, adding that, “we live in a society where gambling exists.”


Not only does gambling exist, it’s affecting young people.
“Problem gambling is an issue people normally associate with older adults,” said Laurie Bell, Responsible Gambling Council director of preventative programs. “In reality, a 19-year-old is more likely to have a problem with gambling than a 50-year-old.”


Bell said young adults are more likely to see gambling (poker) as a way to make money.


“This kind of thinking can be a real set-up for a gambling problem. On the Internet, in movies and on TV, gambling is positioned as cool. Our goal is to encourage students to engage their critical thinking skills now, so that when they reach the age where they can gamble legally, they are aware of the risks,” said Bell.


The 82% tour is the fourth for tour director Rick Simm.


The presentation is based around youth. The cast is in their early 20s, their plot is designed around university students and problems arise when the main character sells his friend’s tickets to a game between the Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators.


“You can see when they’re watching that they’re retaining the message, they get it,” said Simm.
As Simm and his fellow actors move on to their next performance, there is one thing he wants the local students to take away.


“We want them to know there are risks associated to gambling and we want them to know how to avoid them,” said Simm.