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CMHA Saskatchewan Division - Saskatchewan Division

GAP – Blog

 
 

*** Please note ***

GAP is all about education and we are ready for fall 2020!
Educators, keep an eye out for our annual school mail-out coming soon.
Our team has integrated protocols to meet COVID-19 safety regulations for all physical (in-person) engagements where allowed. Live virtual sessions are also available and we’ve even prerecorded cyber modules that can be viewed anytime.

Please see our Contact page to reach our team to learn more or to book a session. We look forward to seeing you!

Here to help you learn about the risks of gambling…

The Gambling Awareness Program was always intended to help educate Saskatchewan’s youth and general public about the potential risks associated with gambling. Gambling can be an enjoyable pastime, however, gambling can also become addictive. Today, in the digital era, gambling is widely available on a number of different devices and in many different formats. The GAP blog will help you to understand the modern age of gambling so that you can be better informed and confident in how you or your children navigate this changing landscape.

GAP Blog

Understanding eSports & Daily Sports Betting

With single-event sports betting becoming legal in the United States and Canada talking about legalizing sports betting in the near future, it's more and more important for people to understand this form of Gambling. Traditionally, we all think of games like football and hockey when we talk about sports betting, but as video game competitions have also risen in popularity, they too must be considered. In this blog, you'll get a much better idea of how sports betting works both traditionally and through eSports.
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Gambling In Saskatchewan

In this blog you should get a better idea of the various organizations responsible for operating Saskatchewan's various gambling services.
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The Business of Gambling

Learn a bit more about how gambling works as a business model. Get a better sense of how odds and probability play a role and figure out what "House Advantage" means!
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Gambling Addiction

We want to help folk better understand what a gambling addiction looks like and how it's both similar to, and different from, substance abuse.
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Gambling Myths

We've all had "that feeling" that our luck is about to change, sometimes, randomly, it does, but more this really is just a feeling. In this Blog we'll discuss how myths and superstitions can influence how we gamble.
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Gambling and Technology

Have you ever heard the term "the Gamblification of Technology"? More and more elements of gambling mechanics are starting to bleed into the apps and games we all use. We'll look at a few examples of what that looks like in this blog!
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GAP Videos

If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP.2 - A History of Gambling in Saskatchewan (part 1)
Thanks for watching! The Gambling Awareness Program proudly supports the efforts of educators and organizations who promote the safe, responsible use of gambling for recreational purposes. Gambling is a form of entertainment and should not be used as a means for financial gain. Problem gambling effects 2-5% of the population and can cause complex social and financial hardships for the person gambling, as well as, their friends and family.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP.3 - A History of Gambling in Saskatchewan (part 2)
Thanks for watching! The Gambling Awareness Program proudly supports the efforts of educators and organizations who promote the safe, responsible use of gambling for recreational purposes. Gambling is a form of entertainment and should not be used as a means for financial gain. Problem gambling effects 2-5% of the population and can cause complex social and financial hardships for the person gambling, as well as, their friends and family.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP.4 - A History of Gambling in Saskatchewan (part 3)
Thanks for watching! The Gambling Awareness Program proudly supports the efforts of educators and organizations who promote the safe, responsible use of gambling for recreational purposes. Gambling is a form of entertainment and should not be used as a means for financial gain. Problem gambling effects 2-5% of the population and can cause complex social and financial hardships for the person gambling, as well as, their friends and family.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP.6 - Welcome to Sidewalk Days!
Part of our Bridging the GAP on Gambling series. Last Summer was GAP's first year at Moose Jaw's Sidewalk Days Festival. It was fantastic couple of days and we got some great footage of the event.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP.7 - GAP at the 2019 Moose Jaw Sidewalk Days (Part 2)
Part of our Bridging the GAP on Gambling series. Last Summer was GAP's first year at Moose Jaw's Sidewalk Days Festival. It was fantastic couple of days and we got some great footage of the event. Today, we're enjoying some of the "Game Show" that is our spinning prize wheel of EDUCATION!
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP.8 - GAP at the 2019 Moose Jaw Sidewalk Days (Part 3)
Part of our Bridging the GAP on Gambling series. Last Summer was GAP's first year at Moose Jaw's Sidewalk Days Festival. It was fantastic couple of days and we got some great footage of the event. Today, we're enjoying some of the street interviews we did at the festival. Find out what some of your peers think about gambling.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
Ep.9 - GAP at the 2019 Moose Jaw Sidewalk Days (Part 4)
Part of our Bridging the GAP on Gambling series. Last Summer was GAP's first year at Moose Jaw's Sidewalk Days Festival. It was a fantastic couple of days and we wanted to share our thoughts on the experience.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP.12/13-COVID Files- Online Gambling Risks (FULL)
This is part 1 of 2 videos talking about Online Gambling. Since the COVID-19 health crisis all of the physical gambling locations in Saskatchewan and Canada have closed, GAP wanted to address the possibility of increased online gambling. This was a 2 part series, however, we've edited the video back into it's full length. We discuss online gambling and ways to mitigate risk factors around gambling online.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP.14 - Introduction to the Gamblification of Gaming
This is the first video in a series that is going to focus on video games. Video game addiction is a growing problem these days. More and more features are being added to gaming that blur the lines between traditional gambling mechanics and gaming. This series will explore those crossovers and help prepare watchers for the complex "gamblification" of gaming in 2020.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP.15 - The Gamblification of Gaming - Addiction vs Recreation
Today we're looking at what makes up an addiction. We're looking at some of the science, and we'll be giving a bunch of examples of how we can develop unhealthy relationships to things like gaming. This is part one of Addictions vs Recreation and the first topic in the Gamblification of Gaming Series!
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
Ep16 - Gamblification of Gaming - Addiction vs Recreation - Mitigation
In todays video we're going to talk more about how to minimize the risks of gaming addiction. We'll talk about some strategies we can use to track our gaming and we'll give you some additional resources to check out!
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP17, 18, 19 - Gamblification of Gaming - Escapism & Gaming (FULL)
Welcome to our FULL unbroken version of the Escapism series! In this video we're going to take a good look at what escapism is, why we use it, and how it can both be a saving grace on a stressful day, or highly problematic if we avoid our problems. Enjoy, this is part of a wider series on the Gamblification of Gaming.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP.20 - The Gamblification of Gaming - Simulated Gambling In Video Games
In today's video we're looking at simulated gambling and how it's been incorporated into game design. We'll talk about what maks simulated gambling a risk factor for users and we'll discuss the different forms of simulated gambling users will find in different games.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP.21- The Psychology of Gaming - Legal Grey Zones
Today we're starting our conversation on some of the psychologies found in many modern games. Many of these concepts are widely used in the Gambling industry in different ways. We want you guys to be able to recognize when and how these techniques are used in game design. In this video we'll talk about legal grey zones that make some of these features possible.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP. 22 - The Psychology of Gaming - Conditioning
Today we're going to talk about conditioning and how this form of psychology is used in video games. We'll look at different ways games use reinforcement to keep players engaged and talk about key features that are common in a lot of different games.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP. 23 - Psychology of Gaming - The Near Miss Principle
Today, we're looking at another way we learn, through the near miss principle. We'll chat about what this form of learning looks like and then we'll go over some examples of how this concept is used in both gambling and in video game design.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP. 24 - Psychology of Gaming: Hedonic Adaptation
Hey everyone, today we're going to take a look at what hedonic adaptation is, and how this concept is used in game design.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP. 25- Psychology of Gaming: FOMO
Today we're going to look at something called "The Fear Of Missing Out" or FOMO for short. If you've ever looked at a limited time sale at one of your favorite shops you've probably experienced this feeling before. But, this isn't just a sales tactic, we'll dive into talking about how FOMO is also used in things like video games and gambling.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP. 26 - Game Monetization
So we've talked about how psychology has been used to help make some features in games more engaging, today we're going to start looking at how that engagement can get away from some people. Game monetization is often tied to many of the psychologies we've talked about in our last episodes, which, can lead to problems for some people. Today, we're looking briefly at how players spend money, the amounts they most commonly spend, and the extremes.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
EP. 27 - Game Monetization: A Case Study on Game of War
Hey everyone, enjoy our new video here! We did a bit of a deep dive into one of the games that we discussed in our previous video, Game of War: Fire Age. We're looking at how this game has been monetized and exploring why, in a number of articles and reviews, Game of War has been singled out as one of the games with very high player spending. We'll be using some of the information from previous videos to help explain whats happening.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
Ep. 28 - Game Monetization: Watching Our Spending
Today, we're back and talking about strategies that might be able to help us control our spending. These tips aren't the only things we can do, but they will give you some good idea's to build from.
If you'd like to see more check out our YouTube:
Gambling Awareness Program - GAP
Ep. 29 - What about e-sports?
Coming Soon!

The Gambling Awareness Program is part of…