EXAR 2903 - Gambling and Gaming

Online sports betting in Canada and Alberta has created new economic opportunities and challenges. Education is urgently required. This course provides expert knowledge on gambling and gaming and networking opportunities for professionals and students working within and across related fields of responsible gambling, mental health and addictions and treatment. The micro credential can be stacked to qualify students for related work in government, NGOs and further academic study.

If you’re working in casinos, non-profit organizations, gaming venues, hospitality, or entertainment, this course will help you deepen your understanding of gambling and gaming. It’s also a great fit if you’re a business, management, or tourism student exploring career opportunities in the industry. K-12 educators, parents and education board members will develop a more comprehensive knowledge of the platforms and products that their students are engaged with.

Policy makers, regulators, educators, and community service workers will gain valuable insight into social, economic, and ethical aspects of gambling, while educators and researchers can expand their knowledge of consumer behaviour and cultural impact. Entrepreneurs and innovators will discover opportunities in this growing sector, and if you’re simply curious about the history and social dynamics of gambling, this course is for you, too.

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• 🗸 Access the knowledge required to develop and implement best practices in responsible gambling delivery, addiction prevention and treatment.
• 🗸 Know where to find the most accurate and up-to-date statistical data and qualitative research on gambling in Alberta and beyond, so you can quickly respond to challenges as they arise in your organization.
• 🗸 Gather insights from Indigenous expertise to better understand gambling’s role in economic, political and cultural processes of decolonization.
• 🗸 Network effectively with other stakeholders so that your organization can pursue ethical and sustainable pathways to delivering gambling.

• 🗸 Classroom interactions and networking lunches with students and professionals working outside your organization will give you different perspectives on the impact of gambling and gaming for specific groups and communities.
• 🗸 Professor Nicoll and her staff will bring this material to life through quizzes and classroom activities, so that you can directly apply it within your organization or research project.
• 🗸 A collaborative learning environment will build strong foundations to support Alberta’s delivery of sustainable and ethical gambling and effective harm minimization tools, as well as recovery-led approaches to mental health and addictions.

“As an advocate and educator who combines lived experience with fact-based evidence, this course was instrumental in dissecting and evaluating the research and some of Canada's own history with gambling and gaming. This complex arena requires a course such as Gambling and Gaming in recognizing the role it inevitably plays in future trends both nationally and globally. Great leaders and knowledge at this table!”

— Andree Busenius (Lived Experience Researcher and Educator, Problem Gambling Researcher Network)