As part of the organization’s effort to educate youth on the risks of gambling, the Responsible Gaming Association of New Mexico has produced 2024-2025 student planners. These planners cover the current school year with pages to note assignments, important dates, and notes.

The planners also include information on the risks of gambling. Studies have shown that people who start to gamble earlier in life are at a greater risk of developing a gambling compulsion.

Legal consequences in New Mexico for underage gambling can include misdemeanor charges and fines. Other consequences aren’t as tangible, but may include declining academic success, lack of interest in social and extracurricular activities, anxiety and depression, and mounting debt. Gambling activity can also be associated with other high-risk activities among youth, like drug and alcohol use.

“We want our state’s teens to focus on education and part of that is understanding that gambling is a form of entertainment for adults and only when when it does not interfere with daily life or the ability to pay bills and provide for your family,” said Shannon Dictson, president of the Responsible Gaming Association of New Mexico. She is also the responsible gaming coordinator for the Mescalero Responsible Gaming Program and began the student planner project several years ago, focused on the Mescalero area.

In 2024, the planners became a statewide effort, she says. “We would love to share these with any students who are in middle or high school. If you’d like to receive a copy, contact me and we will get it to you.”

To receive a student planner, use the RGANM.com contact form, directing the email to the President. In the Comments, include your name and mailing address as well as how many teens are in the home.

An art contest is underway for New Mexico students in grades 6 through 12 to help educate their peers about the risks of underage gambling and the potential for harm. According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, between 60 to 80 percent of high school students report having gambled for money in the past year and 4-6% meet the criteria of a problem gambler.

The contest is sponsored by the Responsible Gaming Association of New Mexico (RGANM), a collaboration of the state’s Native American-owned tribal casinos. Submitted artwork will be evaluated for use in a student planner booklet that RGANM will print and distribute for the 2024-2025 school year. Thirteen submissions will be chosen for the planner’s cover and 12 months; the winning cover design will receive a $100 gift card and each winner for a monthly page will receive a $50 gift card.

“The student planner includes broader information in addition to advocating against underage gambling,” said Shannon Dictson, president of RGANM and coordinator of the Mescalero Responsible Gaming Program. “Information is also included about suicide prevention, obesity, vaping, underage drinking, and issues relevant to teens and young adults.”

She says the planner is a way to help spread the message that gambling is a form of entertainment to be enjoyed in moderation by adults and should only use disposable income. “This is a way to share information to help students and encourage them to not participate in addictive or potentially harmful activities,” she said.

Artwork should be on 8.5×11 white paper, either horizontal or vertical. It should illustrate a message such as:

  • Set a dollar limit and stick with it
  • There are times when people should not gamble
  • Free counseling is available for anyone with a gambling problem
  • Gambling is not essential for having fun
  • Don’t let gambling interfere with family, friends or work.
  • Kids are 2-3 times the risk of adults for developing a gambling problem
  • The Problem Gambling Helpline in New Mexico is 1-888-696-2440

The student’s name, grade level and school should be included in the artwork itself, as well as a valid phone number and email. Submissions can be made to smdictson@matgc.org. For more information, call 575- 464-7106. The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2024.

Our annual summary of outreach and services to those affected by problem gambling is summarized below in an infographic. For any questions about our services or the association of native casinos, contact president@rganm.org.

For information on our 2023 efforts in education, prevention, and treatment for compulsive gamblers and their families, our annual report offers a review of the outreach provided. The Responsible Gaming Association of New Mexico is a voluntary collaboration of Native-owned casino properties. By pooling our funds for outreach about problem gambling, we are able to offer a cohesive program to educate New Mexicans, advocating responsible gaming and offering support and treatment for those who begin to gamble too much, as well as to their families. For information about our efforts, please email president@rganm.org. Click the pdf below to access the 2023 report.

RGA 2023 Annual Report

 

Free, confidential help is available during Covid-19

If you are struggling with a gambling problem, or if you’re the partner or loved one of someone affected by compulsive gambling, free help is available. Even during times such as the pandemic, the Responsible Gaming Association of New Mexico is offering support through education and free treatment.

Whether you live in a town or a rural area, “virtual” sessions provide confidential access to treatment services by trained professionals.

Via the internet, mental health treatment for gambling problems is now available so that everyone can access high quality assistance without having to drive long distances.

All you need is an internet connection, a private place in your home or at work, and a smart phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer that has a working microphone and speakers.

To learn more about this virtual service and treatment for problem gambling, call the Responsible Gaming Association helpline. Calls are answered 24/7. You can also visit www.RGANM.org to learn more.

The Responsible Gaming Association of New Mexico is pleased to offer two sessions in our webinar training for treatment providers. These sessions will focus on “The Key to Working with Gambling Problems: A Model of Supervision with Case Examples”.

Each session will provide 1.5 Supervision CEUs. The first webinar will be held on November 13, 2020 from 11am-12:30pm MST and will focus on the MONEY portion of gambling problems.
REGISTER HERE.

The second event, December 11, 2020 from 11am-12:30pm MST, will cover the LIES related to gambling problems.
REGISTER HERE.

Attendees will earn 1.5 Supervision CEUs for each event. Attendance is free but registration is required.

Speakers will be Chris Anderson, LMFT, ICGC-II-BACC; Chris Goodrich, PhD, LPCC, ICGC-II; and Daniel Blackwood, LPCC, ICGC-II-BACC.

We hope to resume our in-person annual conference in August 2021, but until then, we will offer an excellent lineup of speakers in online webinars.

Treatment Providers: Join our E-mail List to Receive Updates

Counselors, join our mailing list to receive the latest news from our Problem Gambling Conferences


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