UNDATED (WJON News) — With the NFL in full swing one Minnesota organization is reminding people of the potential dangers of sports gambling. The Minnesota Alliance of Problem Gambling (MNAPG) says over 250,000 adult Minnesotans have reported a problem with gambling and encourages people who decide to gamble to practice safe, responsible, low-risk gambling.

MNAPG Executive Director Susan Sheridan Tucker says it is important to look for the signs that someone might have a problem:

“If they’re becoming more obsessed about sports and games and spending much more time on that activity as opposed to other activities that they may have had interest in, if they’re asking for more money than they normally would, if they’re becoming more irritable, I mean these are all kinds of signs.”

Sheridan Tucker says the MNAPG has resources to get people help and their mission is to increase awareness about problem gambling. Last year 75 million Americans bet on NFL games and that number number is expected to grow in 2024.

MNAPG says that three out of four college students have gambled in the past year, up to 6% may have a problem, and they are seeing more high school kids taking up gambling. Sheridan Tucker says we need to start educating kids about the dangers of gambling:

“Because if we’re talking to our kids about drug intake and alcohol and vaping, gambling needs to be a part of that conversation as well. It can be a real addiction for people and we often see it as a co-addiction to alcohol and drug use.”

She says 6,000 Minnesota High School students have indicated they have an issue with gambling. Sheridan Tucker says the MNAPG has a tool kit available for free to help parents, teachers, and coaches talk to their kids about gambling and have that conversation. MNAPG is a non-profit, gambling-neutral organization dedicated to improving the lives of Minnesotans affected by problem gambling.