Connections: Healthy Gambling and Gaming

Evergreen CPG
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Join host Tana Russell, Assistant Director of Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling, as she discusses gambling and gaming with special co-hosts and internationally renowned subject matter experts. Together they journey to shine a light on the topic of gambling and gaming disorder with genuine care, humor, and a passion for knocking down barriers to care and reducing the stigma associated with seeking help.

  1. Mar 13

    Searching for Belonging: Creating a Culture of Community in Boston’s Chinatown

    Exploring how isolation, immigration, and lack of a sense of community can lead to gambling harm. In this episode, Ben Hires, CEO of the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC), and Kevin Lin, Family Connector and Mental Health Clinician at BCNC, join host Tana Russell and co-host Paulina Zyskowski for an honest look at how isolation, immigration, and targeted gambling marketing are shaping the experiences of Boston’s Asian community. Together, they unpack how cultural loss, language barriers, economic pressure, and loneliness can quietly increase vulnerability to gambling harm…and how community-based prevention is working to change that story by creating a culture of community. What begins as boredom or a search for belonging can become something much more complicated. Casinos can be welcoming spaces, offering transportation, familiar language, and culturally themed environments; but when connection is built on betting, the consequences can deepen isolation rather than relieve it. This conversation explores the impact of cultural displacement, the role of stigma in help-seeking, the realities of targeted casino marketing, and the power of community-based prevention efforts that create healthier spaces for connection. Through initiatives like ping pong nights, karaoke gatherings, and culturally responsive outreach, BCNC demonstrates how a supportive community can prevent gambling harm, by addressing the need to belong. Guests: Ben Hires, BCNC Kevin Lin, BCNC Resources: ·        Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center https://bcnc.net/ ·        Kaleidoscope: National Asian-American/PacificIslander Heritage Month https://www.youtube.com/live/f-qZ956EuOk?si=xpndbUH-T6SAT1rnScreening for Problem Gambling in Asian Communities:A Discussion on Gambling Disorder Screenings, Support, and Services https://www.youtube.com/live/hgSbTYpV9mU?si=He5J8L1wRpztXkHd ·Washington State Healthcare Authority ProblemGambling affects everyone rack cards: Forms and publications | Washington State Health Care Authority Asian Council and Referral Services (ACRS): Home - ACRS Front Page - ACRS Problem Gambling Screening Tools (see languages listed below): GA 20 Questions in Chinese: https://www.gamblercaritas.org.hk/index.php?_route_=hk/index.php&route=assessment&assessment_category_id=31   Gam-Anon 20 Questions in Chinese: https://www.gamblercaritas.org.hk/hk/index.php?route=assessment&assessment_category_id=32   o  DSM-5 GD Criteria in Chinese: https://www.gamblercaritas.org.hk/hk/index.php?route=assessment&assessment_category_id=30   DSM-5 in multiple languages: https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/DSM/DSM5-Translation-Publishers-Contact-Info.pdf   SOGS in Vietnamese: https://vuir.vu.edu.au/660/1/VSOGAU2009.pdf   SOGS in Chinese (for college students): https://www.um.edu.mo/fss/psychology/doc/C-SOGS_college_Tang%20et%20al%202009.pdf   UCLA’s Freedom from Problem Gambling self-help workbook available in multiple languages, includes a shortened version of SOGS: http://www.uclagamblingprogram.org/treatment/workbook.php

  2. Feb 6

    Rock Bottom to Radical Honesty: From Losing at Gambling, to Winning in Life

    Content Warning: this episode discusses mental health concerns, including suicidal thoughts. Exploring the turning points that move people from gambling harm toward honesty, recovery, and helping others. People impacted by gambling harm often carry years of secrecy, shame, and emotional exhaustion before finding a path to change. In this episode, Adam Lyons (The Modern Meeting podcast) shares his journey with host Tana Russel. From early exposure to gambling at nine years old through two decades of chasing wins, hiding losses, and searching for fresh starts on an odyssey across the American gambling landscape, he opens up about the emotional reckoning that led him to seek the support that carried him into recovery. “I didn’t want to take my own life, but I did not want to live this life anymore." This conversation explores the impact of long-term gambling harm, the courage required to finally confront the truth, the relief that comes from connection, and the transformative role community can play in healing. Adam’s journey reminds us that the first step belongs to the individual, yet the strength to continue comes from the community that walks beside them. Resources: Suicide Helpline: call/text 988 - https://988lifeline.org/Washington Problem Gambling Helpline: 1-800-547-6133 (find a certified gambling counselor and other resources in Washington state): https://www.evergreencpg.org/National Problem Gambling Helpline: 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738 - find a certified gambling counselor and other resources in the US): https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/Gam-Anon: https://gam-anon.org/Gamblers Anonymous: https://gamblersanonymous.org/Gamblers, Family, and Friends In Recovery: https://gamblersinrecovery.com/ Reddit/problem gambling: https://gam-anon.org/

  3. 12/22/2025

    Early Exposure, Lasting Impact: Perspectives on Gambling Exposure in Childhood and Adolescence

    Exploring how gambling exposure in childhood and adolescence can shape risk and harm later in life, and what adults need to know to intervene sooner. In this episode of Connections, host Paulina Zyskowski, Prevention and Community Engagement Specialist at the Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling, is joined by prevention and behavioral health professionals Mina Hazar, Manager of the Youth Gambling Awareness Program at the YMCA of Greater Toronto; Karen Hlady (MA, GIS, IGDC), Addictions and Gambling Prevention Specialist based in British Columbia; and Maureen Greeley, Executive Director of the Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling. Together, they examine how early gambling exposure can look like, why it is often overlooked, and what research and practice reveal about long term impact. Drawing from experience across the United States and Canada, the panel discusses brain development, stigma, cultural context, media and financial literacy, and how parents, educators, and caregivers can recognize risk and start honest, nonjudgmental conversations with young people. Resources: Healing Animal Adoptions https://www.evergreencpg.org/donations/adoption/ Youth Gambling Awareness Program https://www.ymcagta.org/youth-programs/youth-gambling-awareness-program Youth Have the Power https://youthhavethepower.org/

  4. 09/25/2025

    Broke but Not Broken: Women's Voices in Gambling Recovery – S6E4

    Exploring the transformative effects of creating safe spaces for women in recovery—building community from isolation one story at a time. Women impacted by gambling harm often face uniquechallenges from caregiving roles to social expectations, and the lack of women-centered recovery spaces. This episode, featuring guests Terra Carbert (Ambitious Addicts) and Christina Cook (The Broke Girl Society), explores the origins and impact of the Broke Girl Society (BGS) Facebook forum and podcast. A growing community of nearly 3,100 women, BGS offers connection, support, and hope to women in recovery from gambling harm. The conversation addresses stigma, unique impacts from gambling experienced by women, and the importance of safe spaces where women can openly share their pain and discover pathways to healing.  Resources: The Broke Girl Society https://thebrokegirlsociety.com/   Ambitious Addicts https://ambitiousaddicts.com/   Gender Differences in Problem Gamblers in an Online Gambling Setting (Research: National Library of Medicine) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4736715/   Women’s gambling behaviour, product preferences, andperceptions of product harm: differences by age and gambling risk status (Research: National Library of Medicine) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5916584/#:~:text=Age%20group%20was%20significantly%20associated,more%20likely%20than%20younger%20women.   Examining Gender Differences for Gambling Engagement and Gambling Problems Among Emerging Adults (Research: National Library of Medicine) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7443450/#:~:text=In%20total%2C%20786%20respondents%20(78,%25%2C%20p%3C0.001).&text=Statistical%20comparisons%20were%20made%20between,file%20number%202018/495)

  5. 08/05/2025

    Gambling and Criminal Justice - S6E3

    Many people who end up developing a Gambling Disorder never intend to commit a crime, but the desperation to continue gambling or to make ends meet can lead them there.  The traditional criminal justice system is wholly unprepared to adequately address an underlying Gambling Disorder, or to support the recovery of incarcerated individuals how now have even more access to gambling within jails and prisons.  This episode explores gambling-motivated crimes, the criminal justice system, and other intersecting life impacts that are felt by many individuals and families across the country each year.

  6. 03/11/2025

    2SLGBTQIA+: The Family You Choose - S6E2

    Oblio Stroyman (he/him, they/them) talks about their work as a mental health and gambling addiction therapist who specializes in working with families and 2SLGBTQIA+ clients. What can clients do to cope with fears and anxiety about their health, rights, and safety? What can providers do to support their clients and find resources? What do you do if the family you are born into isn’t providing the support you need? This episode discusses those questions and more! Visit our blog for resources and more information:

  7. 01/29/2025

    Sex, Substances, and Gambling - S6E1

    Sex, Substances, and Gambling:Exploring Their Surprising Similarities – S6E1 Hosts of the Calm and Cool podcast, Jeff Burt and Miguel Alvarado talk about their recovery from sex, porn, and substances as well as what they have learned about gambling addiction.  They discuss parenting struggles, addiction in the digital age, grieving lost dreams, and the gift of transformation.  Since they have taken a quest to better understand gambling addiction, Tana tests their knowledge.   Resources: Calm and Cool Podcast (Website)  Calm and Cool Podcast (YouTube)  Washington State Problem Gambling Helpline – 24/7 connection to a live Helpline specialist CALL or TEXT:   CHAT:  National Problem Gambling Helpline   Chat:  988 Lifeline – If you need to talk, the 988 Lifeline is here.

  8. 12/19/2024

    Gift Responsibly: What It Is and Why It Matters - S5E4

    In this episode Tana is joined by her boss, Maureen Greeley, Executive Director of ECPG; Cait Huble, Director of Communications at the National Council on Problem Gambling; and Randy Warick, Director of Sales and Marketing at Washington's Lottery.  They discuss what Gift Responsibly campaigns are about, how they started vs. what they look like now, and why this message is important for anyone helping to influence the healthy development of children in today's very complicated world.

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Join host Tana Russell, Assistant Director of Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling, as she discusses gambling and gaming with special co-hosts and internationally renowned subject matter experts. Together they journey to shine a light on the topic of gambling and gaming disorder with genuine care, humor, and a passion for knocking down barriers to care and reducing the stigma associated with seeking help.

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