Think You’ll Win? Know The Odds of Winning Big

NEWS RELEASE

NORTH BAY, ON – The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit (Health Unit) and the Community Counselling Centre of Nipissing are relaunching Think You’ll Win? a gambling harm reduction campaign that adds perspective to the odds of winning big. The campaign features four new scenarios that may seem unbelievable, but are statistically more likely to happen than winning big.

• Think you’ll win big at roulette? You’re more likely to have royal ancestry.
• Think you’ll pick a perfect ½ bracket? You’re more likely to have quintuplets.
• Think you’ll win the next bingo round? It’s more likely a player shares your birthday.
• Think you’ll win at online slots? You’re more likely to crack a code on the first try.

“The original campaign’s lighthearted approach resonated with the community, so we expanded the campaign to highlight the odds of other forms of gambling, such as bingo and sports-betting,” says Justine Mallah, Community Health Promoter at the Health Unit and Co-chair of the Gambling Harm Reduction Partnership. “Being informed about odds and how the game works before you bet are important steps to safer gambling.”

Research shows that people with mistaken beliefs about the odds of winning are more likely to face gambling harms.

“Many people believe inaccurate information about gambling and odds,” says Mallah. “Gambling is not a money-maker, and it is far less likely that you will win big, than you may think. For instance, think you’ll win at online slots? You’re more likely to crack a 4-digit code on the first try.”

The rise of online gambling during COVID-19 and the relaxing of laws around sports betting sparked the campaign’s expansion.

“Increased access to gambling is linked with increased risk of gambling harms to individuals and the community,” Mallah adds. “Gambling for fun is not a problem, but when used as a tool for income, to pay off bills or to win back money, for example, it is a problem.”

Problem gambling can affect anyone no matter their socioeconomic status. People with moderate or severe problem gambling and those close to them are more likely than the general population to experience other negative health and social impacts. The impact of problem gambling on community well-being is far reaching, with higher rates of depression, suicide, substance use disorders, homelessness, criminality and being victims or perpetrators of domestic and inter-partner violence, according to the data.

Unsure about your gambling habits? Ask yourself these questions:

• Have you needed to gamble with larger amounts of money to get the same feeling of excitement?
• Have you often gambled longer, with more money, or more frequently than you intended to?
• Have you made attempts to either cut down, control, or stop gambling?

Answered yes to any of these questions? Help is available. Call ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600 to get connected to a counselling service in your area.

For more information, call the Health Unit at 1-800-563-2808, or learn more at myhealthunit.ca/gambling. To access support now, call the Community Counselling Centre of Nipissing at 705-472-6515.

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Media Inquiries:

Alex McDermid, Public Relations Specialist
P: 705-474-1400, ext. 5221 or 1-800-563-2808
E: communications@healthunit.ca