About Our Program
Mission: To reduce the negative effects of gambling in Lane County communities through coordinating effective prevention strategies.
On this page: Why problem gambling prevention? | Evidence-based work | Our goals | Compliant with Oregon Health Education Standards | How can we help you?
Why problem gambling prevention?
- Problem gambling is one of the fastest growing addictive behaviors in the United States.
- The latest data on Oregon students shows that gambling starts as early as sixth grade, and that youth who gamble are much more likely to be involved in other risky behaviors.
- Evidence-based efforts for drugs, alcohol and tobacco are effective; effective problem gambling prevention strategies may actually help
reduce the rate of future problem and pathological gamblers by promoting
healthy and responsible choices.
Evidence-based work
Lane County formed its problem gambling prevention program in January 2002. Our program, like other problem gambling services in the state, is funded by a portion of 1% of Oregon Lottery net proceeds. Our program utilizes the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention's (CSAP) strategies for effective prevention efforts, including information dissemination, prevention education, community-based processes, and policy change.
A growing number of prevention experts believe that the risk and protective factors for other problem behaviors (e.g., substance abuse, violence, delinquency, school dropout) are common to those for problem gambling behaviors in youth. We very much support this belief. Therefore, our program seeks to model its efforts around addressing common risk factors.
Our program is targeting the following risk factors in youth:
- Early initiation of problem behavior
- Community laws & norms favorable toward the problem behavior
- Favorable attitudes toward the problem behavior
- Friends who engage in the problem behavior
For more information on how problem gambling may be related to the risk & protective factor framework and how evidence-based problem gambling prevention programs might be developed, please refer to the report, "Problem Gambling Prevention Resource Guide for Prevention Professionals."
Our goals
- Increase community awareness about the effects of problem
gambling, and promote awareness that problem gambling is a
preventable and treatable public health problem
- Reduce gambling behavior among youth by addressing the risk
factors that may increase the risk of problem gambling and promoting
the protective factors that may minimize the risk of problem
gambling.
- Build and maintain partnerships of individuals, agencies, and community groups to help support community approach to problem gambling prevention.
Lane County is working to achieve these goals through several projects, including the development and provision of school-based and community awareness presentations, partnering with other local substance abuse prevention coordinators and other counties' problem gambling prevention providers, and active involvement in local and statewide efforts for Oregon Problem Gambling Awareness Week.
For other information about our efforts, check out
our presentation 
about
problem gambling and the importance of prevention.
Compliant with Oregon Health Education Standards
In schools, we align our efforts with the Oregon Health Education Standards. Problem gambling now fits in with the 6-8th grade standards of Promotion of Mental, Social and Emotional Health (see below; click for full/enlarged version).
The skills covered by our program include:
accessing information, analyzing influences, and decision making.
How can we help you?
Are you looking to add information about problem gambling to your classroom, group, or agency program area? We can offer a variety material to you - -ranging from the shortest to lengthier material. Here are a few items we can offer you:
- Awareness presentations to anyone interested (past presentations include community groups and coalitions, parent groups, addictions treatment clients, etc.)
- Prevention/awareness classes (interactive PowerPoint presentations for middle schoolers and at-risk youth)
- Professional training workshops (e.g., to addictions, prevention, or mental health providers) Educational materials; we can develop materials to suit your target group
- Any other gambling-related information or education; please feel free to contact us!