Gambling in the 21st Century
The ideal introduction to Against The Odds for a group meeting us for the first time. Half lived experience, half the modern gambling landscape — and what it is designed to do to them.
Overall — the overall score averaged across every session we have delivered and evaluated.
Most young people have never been told how any of it works.
No scare tactics and no lecture. Aaron opens with an honest account of what gambling addiction cost him and the people closest to him, then the room examines how advertising, influencer culture, sponsorship and social media shape what gambling looks like to them. They leave able to challenge it.
How the session runs.
- 01
A lived-experience story
Honest, raw and impactful. What gambling addiction actually looked like, and the impact it had on both the individual and those closest to him.
- 02
The modern gambling landscape
How advertising, influencer culture, sponsorship and social media shape young people’s perceptions of gambling in a digital age.
- 03
Challenging the norm
Learners examine the limited visibility of gambling-related harm against the visibility of the marketing, and question the societal norms around it.
- 04
Signs and support
Recognising early warning signs, and understanding where to access support — so the decisions afterwards are informed ones.
What every session covers.
- What is gambling?
- A lived-experience story
- Industry facts & statistics
- Types of gambler
- Identifying gambling harm
- Advertising, influence & normalisation
- What is a gambling addiction?
- Physical, mental & financial impacts
- Gambling in a digital age
- Signposting & support
- Classroom takeaways
- A short film by Against The Odds
Learning outcomes
- Identifying the transition from social play to harm
- Understanding differentiated product risk
- Embedding confidence around the power of talking
- Understanding the mechanics behind gambling advertising
- Awareness of the support routes available
How we deliver it.
Rapport first
We establish rapport on the way into the room, before anything else.
Language they use
Relatable and understandable — no jargon, no statistics for their own sake.
We aren't teachers
No suits, no formal attire. The session does not look or sound like a lesson.
Age-appropriate
Content and style pitched at the group in front of us, not a generic year band.
Conversation, not fear
Scare tactics close a room down. The whole session is built to open one up.
Small cohorts
Smaller groups mean maximum engagement, so we cap rather than fill a hall.
Interactive throughout
Live polling and group work through Mentimeter, not a lecture with slides.
What changes in the room.
- Overall8.8/ 10
- Understanding of physical impacts9.0/ 10
- Understanding of mental impacts9.0/ 10
- Understanding of financial impacts9.2/ 10
More workshops.
All workshops
NXTGEN Advertising Programme
Learners take apart the adverts aimed at them — then work in groups to write a prevention slogan that would actually land with their own age group.
- Creative & hands-on
- Group work
- Colleges & academies
Gambling & Sport
The unhealthy relationship. How sporting environments, team cultures and social pressures shape attitudes to gambling — and what it does to the people inside them.
- Clubs & academies
- First team & academy
- Lived experience
Book this workshop.
Tell us the setting, the age group and roughly when. We come back within two working days.
Based in Tamworth. We travel across the Midlands and beyond.