Help is one call or text away.
Worried about betting or gambling? It might be about you, a teammate or someone at home. You can talk to someone today. Every service on this page is free and confidential.
Talk to someone. You don’t have to sort it out alone.
You can reach out about your own betting or gaming, a friend’s, or something happening at home. You don’t need the right words. Just start.
Kids Help Phone
Call 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868. Free, confidential and open 24/7 for young people anywhere in Canada.
988: call or text
If things feel like too much, call or text 988 for mental-health crisis support, any time of day. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911.
Alberta Addiction Helpline
Recovery Alberta’s helpline offers free, confidential support, 24/7, for anyone in Alberta affected by gambling: 1-866-332-2322.
A trusted adult
A parent or guardian, your coach, a teacher, a school counsellor, or another adult you trust. Telling someone early usually makes things easier to sort out.
Two situations that need different help
Betting has become a worry, yours or a friend’s
In Alberta, under 18 means no gambling, online or in person. Offshore and unregulated sites are not a legal or safe option either. If you or a teammate have been betting anyway, you are not the first, and asking for help is the right call. Kids Help Phone, 988 and the Addiction Helpline are all confidential.
Betting reaches young people in a lot of ways: ads, influencers, social media, group-chat pools, loot boxes and “free” games. Noticing it is a good first step.
Someone asks for team information, or sends you abuse
If someone asks about injuries, line-ups or team news and you think they might bet on it, don’t share it, and tell your coach. Passing inside information to someone who bets is an integrity problem, even if you never bet yourself.
If you get abusive messages after a game, screenshot them before you block, then tell your coach or a parent. If a message threatens you or your family, or names where you live or train, it is a police matter. For maltreatment in sport, the Abuse-Free Sport Helpline is 1-888-837-7678.
Talking with your kids about betting
You don’t need to be an expert. A calm, curious conversation goes further than a lecture.
GameSense for parents
GameSense, AGLC’s responsible gambling program, has a parent page called “Talking to kids about gambling” at gamesenseab.ca. The GameSense Info Line is 1-833-447-7523.
The AWARE Family Guide
A free, printable guide for families: how to talk with teens about betting, warning signs, what the law says, and where help lives. It will be free to download, with no email needed.
Publishing summer 2027What to know
The legal gambling age in Alberta is 18, online and in person. Offshore and unregulated sites are not a legal or safe option for anyone. Betting can still reach teens through ads, influencers, social media, group-chat pools, loot boxes and “free” games.
If you’re worried
The Addiction Helpline (1-866-332-2322) is there for anyone affected by gambling, including family members. If you are worried about a child’s safety, call the Alberta Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-387-5437.
Help for adults in Alberta
Alberta Addiction Helpline
24/7, free, confidential support for anyone in Alberta affected by gambling.
1-866-332-2322
In crisis?
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911. For mental-health crisis support anywhere in Canada, call or text 988.
Alberta 211
Dial 211 or visit ab.211.ca for community and social supports across the province, any hour.
Self-exclusion & GameSense
AGLC’s self-exclusion program and GameSense resources help players set limits or step away entirely. Start at aglc.ca. GameSense Info Line: 1-833-447-7523. Registered Alberta sites must show this number on their registration and account pages.
Peer support
Gamblers Anonymous meetings run across Alberta. Find one at gamblersanonymous.org.
Athletes 18 and over
From 18, Alberta’s own standard (SRIG s.4.6.1) bars athletes from betting on events in their sport. If you are worried a rule may already have been broken, get advice early from your sport organization, or your school’s athlete-services or compliance office. If bettors are harassing you, screenshot before you block, report it to your club or athletic department, and go to police if you are threatened.
This page is reviewed quarterly. Last reviewed October 2026. If a listing here is out of date, please tell us: info@awarecf.com. AWARE Community Foundation is an education body, not a treatment or crisis service. The organizations listed above are independent of us and are not funded by us. Listing them does not mean they have reviewed or endorsed AWARE.