In your team room, with your coach.
Betting-risk education for Alberta’s high-school and youth club teams, under 18, boys and girls. Each session is led by a university athlete from the same sport, with the coach in the room. Four programs, all free to teams, schools and clubs. Pilot sessions begin in spring 2027, and full launch follows with fall 2027 sports.
Before it matters
Under-18 athletes can’t legally bet in Alberta. But betting already reaches them: through ads and influencers, through the sports they follow and talk about, and through older teammates. And as some move up, they become the athletes bets are placed on. AWARE talks to them about it before it matters, in their own team room, with their coach present.
We found no current, funded, province-wide school gambling-prevention program in Alberta. AWARE is built to fill that gap, free to every team.
In Ontario, where a private online gambling market opened in April 2022, nearly 1 in 4 students in grades 7–12 (23.4%) see or hear online-gambling ads every day, and B.C. youth who play organized sport with a coach at least weekly are twice as likely to have bet on sports (10% vs 5%). Alberta has not surveyed youth gambling since 2005. Sources: CAMH, Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey 2025; McCreary Centre Society, BC Adolescent Health Survey 2023.
The Team Session
The core session. 45 to 60 minutes in the team’s own space, led by a university athlete from the same sport, with the coach present.
See the session ↓High-Performance Integrity
An add-on for provincial, high-performance and junior-age teams. Inside information, approaches, who to tell, and online harassment as athletes move up.
See the add-on ↓Coach & AD Briefing
Thirty minutes for coaches, athletic directors and team staff: the rules, the warning signs, what to do when an athlete tells you something, and where to refer.
See the briefing ↓Families
A free, printable Family Guide, publishing summer 2027, plus optional parent sessions. Talking to teens about betting, the warning signs, the law, and where help lives.
See the family program ↓The Team Session
45 to 60 minutes in your team’s own space, with the coach present. Led by a university athlete ambassador from your sport. Free to the team.
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The law, plainlyUnder 18 means no gambling in Alberta, online or in person. Unregulated and offshore sites are not a legal or safe option either.
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How betting reaches youAds, influencers and social media. Pools and group chats. Loot boxes and “free” games. Noticing it is the first skill.
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Why the house wins over timeThe idea, not the math. Betting is built so the house comes out ahead over time. We never teach odds, bet types or how to bet.
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Integrity, and the rule waiting at 18Why sharing inside information with someone who bets is a problem, even if you never bet. How approaches happen and who to tell. And the Alberta rule you will live under once you turn 18.
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Where help livesKids Help Phone, 988, the Recovery Alberta Addiction Helpline, and a trusted adult or coach. Found before anyone needs them.
Built on established content, not a new curriculum. We intend to seek to become the Alberta delivery partner for the Responsible Gambling Council’s Beyond the Game, subject to RGC’s agreement. Beyond the Game is RGC’s free, facilitator-led module of about 30 minutes for Grade 11–12 student-athletes and their coaches. It launched in December 2025 and is currently available in Ontario. In RGC’s own pilot results, 92% of students learned where to go for help and 76% intended to use the strategies. AWARE adds the sport-matched ambassador and an Alberta module: the law, integrity rules, harassment awareness, and Alberta help. The session maps to outcomes in Alberta’s Career and Life Management (CALM) curriculum.
Matched to age. Beyond the Game is built for Grade 11–12. With younger teams (ages 14–15, such as Grade 10 or U16), we use AWARE’s own age-adapted version of the core content, reviewed before it is used, unless the Responsible Gambling Council advises that Beyond the Game suits them.
Teenagers listen to someone a few years ahead of them, from their own sport, in their own room.AWARE Community Foundation · The Team Session
Fifty minutes, minute by minute
Every session is shaped with the coach for the team’s sport and age. This is the plan we start from.
- 0–5 min
Who I am - The ambassador, a university athlete in the same sport, shares their path and why they are here. The coach introduces them and stays for the whole session.
- 5–30 min
Core risk content - Beyond the Game (subject to RGC’s agreement) or AWARE’s equivalent: gambling risks for athletes, their impacts, where support is, and healthy decision-making.
- 30–42 min
The Alberta module -
- Under 18 means no gambling in Alberta.
- Where betting reaches you: ads, influencers, group chats, “free” games.
- Integrity: inside information, approaches, and the rule you will live under at 18 (AGLC SRIG s. 4.6.1).
- As you move up: online harassment, and how to document it, report it and lock your accounts down.
- 42–47 min
Scenarios - Three short team discussions. For example: a teammate’s group-chat pool, someone asking about the line-up, a threatening message after a loss.
- 47–50 min
Where help lives - Kids Help Phone, 988, the Addiction Helpline, and a trusted adult. The coach closes the session.
About the evaluation survey. Where the school or club agrees, athletes may complete a short anonymous survey just before and just after the session, under research-ethics approval. An athlete under 18 takes part only with a parent or guardian’s consent and their own agreement. No names are collected, any athlete can skip it, and athletes who don’t take part are not singled out.
The coach is always there
Sessions happen only at the invitation of the school or club. A coach, teacher or team staff member is in the room the whole time. Ambassadors are never alone with athletes.
Parents hear first
Your school or club sends parents and guardians a notice at least seven days before any session with under-18 athletes, using our template. It says what will be covered, who will be there, and how to opt out. Any parent or guardian can withdraw their child without giving a reason. Where your school or division requires opt-in consent, we follow that.
No brands in the room
We never show or name an operator, app, logo, promo code or odds board. No funder is credited, named or present in any session or material for under-18 athletes.
Who pays for this
AWARE’s funding will come from licensed gambling operators, through one pooled fund. No agreement is signed yet. That is why our rules are strict. No funder chooses what is taught, who teaches it or which teams are served. No funder is named or shown in any session or material for athletes, and no funder ever receives information about a school, team or athlete. Once agreements are signed, every funder is named on this website and in our audited annual report. See our Accountability page. Your school or division can ask us anything about our funding before you book.
High-Performance Integrity
An add-on to the Team Session for provincial, high-performance and junior-age teams. This winter, teenage athletes are on the world stage in Alberta at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton and Red Deer. The athletes on that path need the integrity rules of the next level before they get there.
Inside information
What counts: injuries, line-ups and team news. Why passing it to someone who bets is an integrity problem, even if you never place a bet yourself.
Approaches
An approach can come from a friend of a friend or someone online, not only a stranger. Recognize it, reject it, report it. Who to tell: your coach, your sport’s governing body, or its integrity channel. For maltreatment in sport, the Abuse-Free Sport Helpline is 1‑888‑837‑7678.
The rules you will live under
Once you turn 18, Alberta’s own iGaming standard bars athletes, coaches and officials from betting on events overseen by their sport’s governing body (AGLC SRIG s. 4.6.1). Your sport’s code, and junior and university rules, add their own. Athletes leave knowing which rules apply to them by name.
Harassment as you move up
At provincial, junior, university and pro levels, some athletes are targeted online by people who bet. How to document it, report it, and lock accounts down. Screenshot before you block. And remember: the message is about a stranger’s money, not your worth.
AWARE Community Foundation is not a regulator, an investigator or a disciplinary body, and does not rule on eligibility. We teach the rules and the reporting path. Sport bodies enforce them.
Coach & AD Briefing
Thirty minutes, before or after the Team Session, for coaches, athletic directors, teachers and team staff. Free with every Team Session, so the message holds after the ambassador has left.
The rules
What the law says for under-18s, the Alberta integrity rule athletes face at 18, and the sport and school rules your team works under.
Spotting warning signs
What to watch for on a roster: talk of pools or picks, sudden money worries, a phone that never goes down, or stress after messages arrive.
When an athlete tells you something
How to listen, what not to say, and when it becomes a report. Your school’s or club’s duty-to-report rules come first, and we walk through them with you.
The referral path
Kids Help Phone, 988, the Recovery Alberta Addiction Helpline, the Alberta Child Abuse Hotline, the Abuse-Free Sport Helpline, and GameSense resources for parents. On one page, ready before you need it.
Families
Much of what a teenager sees about betting happens away from the team room: on a phone, on TV, in a group chat. Parents and guardians are part of the program.
The Family Guide
A free, printable guide for parents and guardians: how to talk to your teen about betting, the warning signs, what the law says, and where help lives. Never behind an email wall. A family in a hard moment should not have to trade an address for help.
Publishing summer 2027Parent sessions
Optional sessions for a team’s or a school’s families, on request. Same content as the guide, with time for questions.
Free, on requestNotice before every session
Your teen’s school or club sends you a notice at least seven days before any session with under-18 athletes, using our template. It says what will be covered, who will be there, and how to opt out. You can withdraw your child without giving a reason. Where the school or division requires opt-in consent, we follow that.
Help for parents today
GameSense has a parent page, “Talking to kids about gambling,” at gamesenseab.ca. Its Info Line is 1‑833‑447‑7523. Our help page lists more.
University Athlete Ambassadors
Current university and college athletes, aged 19 or older and past their first year, from Alberta institutions, matched to teams by sport. Teenagers listen to a near-peer from their own sport. They can see where they might be in three years.
Volleyball
A university volleyball player visits high-school volleyball teams and youth volleyball clubs.
Basketball
A college basketball player meets a high-school or club basketball team in its own gym.
Hockey
A university hockey player sits down with a U16–U18 club team or a high-school hockey team.
Soccer
A university soccer player joins a high-school or youth club soccer team.
The same applies in football and other sports, wherever we can make a match.
How ambassadors are prepared
Recruited by sport
We intend to recruit from Alberta universities and colleges, sport by sport. The first cohort is recruited, screened and trained in spring 2027, before anyone delivers a session. No ambassador starts until their institution’s compliance office has confirmed in writing that the role is permitted.
Screened first
A written application, a structured interview, two references, and a police information check with vulnerable sector check, all completed before any contact with minors. No exceptions.
Trained to deliver
About 15 hours of paid training before the first session. Facilitator training on the curriculum (Beyond the Game facilitation, subject to RGC’s agreement, plus AWARE’s Alberta module). Safe sport training through CAC Safe Sport Training or Respect in Sport. Handling disclosures and the duty to report.
Never alone with minors
The Rule of Two, every time: a coach, teacher or team staff member is always present. Ambassadors go only where a school or club has invited them.
No private contact
Ambassadors never send private messages to athletes and never follow, friend or message them on social media. They never exchange personal contact details with athletes, and never photograph or record them. Anything an athlete needs after a session goes through the coach.
Supervised and supported
Each ambassador has a named AWARE supervisor and a debrief after each of their first ten sessions, then at regular intervals. Any ambassador can step back from a session without penalty.
No gambling while serving
No gambling of any kind while serving as an ambassador. That is stricter than Alberta’s own rule (SRIG s. 4.6.1). Ambassadors also follow their own institution’s and conference’s rules.
No operator ties
Ambassadors may not hold any endorsement, ambassador, affiliate or advertising arrangement with a gambling operator. They have no contact with funders and never appear in any operator’s advertising or marketing.
Paid, never marketed
Paid $100 per session plus travel, and paid for training, from AWARE’s pooled fund, which will come from licensed gambling operators. No operator knows which ambassador, team or school its money supports, and no funder is credited for, or connected to, any ambassador. The arrangement is subject to legal advice.
Bring the program to your team
Athletic directors, coaches, teachers and club administrators: tell us about your team. Parents: tell us about your teen’s team, and we’ll send you information to pass to the coach or athletic director. We don’t contact a school or club unless its staff invite us. Every program is free to teams, schools and clubs. Pilot sessions with a small number of high-school and club teams run in spring 2027. Full launch follows with fall 2027 sports.
What happens next. We reply by email to confirm the details and match an ambassador from your sport. A session is booked only by an authorized adult at the school or club (an athletic director, head coach, principal or club official), and we follow your school division’s process for outside presenters, including any principal approval it requires. Before the session we send the session plan, confirmation that your ambassador has been screened and trained, and the parent-notice template. Please ask at least three weeks before your preferred date, so the notice can go out seven days ahead.
Our commitment: no session runs until its ambassador has been screened, safe-sport trained and signed off by their institution’s compliance office. Pilots begin in spring 2027.