'Think You'll Win' campaign returns to North Bay

The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit along with the Community Counselling Centre of Nipissing have launched the ‘Think You'll Win?’ campaign once again this year.

Officials said research shows that people with mistaken beliefs about the odds of winning are more likely to face gambling harms. (Supplied)

“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,” said Justine Mallah, a community health promoter at the health unit in a news release Thursday.

“Being informed about odds and how the game works before you bet are important steps to safer gambling.”

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

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The campaign reminds people to gamble with caution and this year it highlights four new scenarios.

• Think you’ll win big at roulette? You’re more likely to have royal ancestry.
• Think you’ll pick a perfect half-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 rise of online gambling during COVID-19 and the relaxing of laws around sports betting sparked the campaign’s expansion.

“Problem gambling can affect anyone no matter their socioeconomic status,” said the health unit.

The North Bay Casino on Pinewood Park Drive is now just over a year old and Alan Mcquarrie, the executive director of the Community Counselling Centre of Nipissing, told CTV News that more people are accessing their services.

"We are seeing some more people coming through our doors, and we know other services are too," said Mcquarrie.

"We're not talking about hundreds or thousands of dollars, we're talking about tens of thousands of dollars or hundreds of thousands of dollars that they've gone into debt, so it's a really, really big problem."

The second year of the campaign to remind people to gamble with caution has several new scenarios. (Supplied)

Officials said problem gambling can have a significant impact on community well-being, according to available data it is often linked with higher rates of depression, suicide, substance use disorders, homelessness, criminality and being victims or perpetrators of domestic and inter-partner violence.

There is help is available for those suffering from problem gambling. Call ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600 to get connected to a counseling service in your area.

"We meet with people, and then we develop goals with them," said Mcquarrie.

For more information, on the campaign visit myhealthunit.ca/gambling.