A live interactive show warning students of the dangers of gambling made its way to Great Lakes Secondary School Wednesday.
Grade 9 and 10 students took part in the Responsible Gambling Council's Game Brain, a game-show format that teaches teens that gambling addictions can start at a young age from something that may seem harmless.
Co-host Jason Agnew said those aged 18 to 24 run the highest risk of developing a gambling problem.
"A lot of students don't realize that there's more to gambling than just casinos and horse racing. It's something like the lottery or scratch-cards or even flipping hockey cards for keep when you're in elementary school," said Agnew. "Also we talk a lot about online gambling and the ability to start in something like video games that you can play and play and play in order to open up different caverns, sometimes money is involved as well."
Agnew and his co-host Matt Chin, both from YTV's Splatalot, have been spreading their message to students at Great Lakes and across Ontario for five years.
Agnew said their interactive and engaging format has worked well over that time to teach students about the dangers of gambling.
"According to the teachers and guidance councillors in schools, their reaction usually is "Wow, you kept them hooked for 45 minutes!" So it's worked out quite nicely," he said.
The gambling council says one out of 25 students is at risk of developing a gambling problem.
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