SAGA College Program Offered as a Result of Gambling Study Findings
Altamonte Springs, FL (PRWEB) March 24, 2009
A Recent study, “Gambling and Problem Gambling Prevalence Among College Students in Florida”, found:
66% of students gambled in the past year
1 in 5 students is at risk of, or has already developed a gambling problem
5.2% were classified as problem/pathological gamblers
32% of male students report one or more problems related to their gambling
As a result of these findings, the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling (FCCG) has developed the program “Students Against Gambling Addiction” (SAGA). SAGA is designed to assist colleges and universities in providing essential information about problem gambling to students via resident advisors, peer educators/advocates, student athlete coaches and instructors, counselors, financial advisors, educators, administrators and other university personnel. This multifaceted program provides activities, training guides and related materials to aid institutions in developing campus wide programs. The SAGA program is presented in an easily understandable way using varied approaches to communicate the message.
“Many people don’t perceive gambling among college students as a serious problem, and this perception is dangerously inaccurate. College student rates of problem/pathological gambling is four times that of the general adult population in Florida. College students who develop problems related to their gambling are often invisible until it is too late, and by the time the problem is recognized, they have already put their education and future on the line.” Says Pat Fowler, Executive Director of the FCCG.
The SAGA Program will provide college and university personnel with practical insight and understanding about gambling addiction, aid them in the development of programs and policies around problem and compulsive gambling, and provide hands on strategies that students and others can use to increase awareness among their peers” says Fowler.
For more information on college gambling, study findings, and the SAGA Program, visit the FCCG website www.gamblinghelp.org or contact the FCCG at 888-ADMIT-IT.
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