NCPG Award Spotlight: The Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado’s Multi-Pronged Approach to Problem Gambling Awareness
This profile is part of a special series recognizing the 2025 NCPG National Awards recipients. Throughout the year, NCPG will highlight the individuals and organizations whose leadership, innovation, and dedication are advancing the prevention and treatment of problem gambling. Together, these stories reflect the strength, diversity, and impact of the professionals working to reduce gambling-related harm and strengthen communities nationwide.
In 2025, the Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado (PGCC) received the National Council on Problem Gambling’s (NCPG) Affiliate Public Awareness Award, an annual award recognizing an outstanding original public awareness campaign. Their “You Have the Power to Stop the Show” campaign utilized digital platforms to promote a clear message to Coloradans: if you are experiencing problems because of your gambling, you have the power – and resources – to stop.
The campaign generated over 15 million impressions and reached tens of thousands of Coloradans, but this massive success did not occur overnight. Launched in 2024 with PGCC President Jamie Glick, LCSW, LAC, ICGC-I, the effort included an early focus on technology to support a more connected, multi-channel awareness approach.
Jamie Glick: From the Mental Health Space to Problem Gambling Prevention
Jamie’s journey into the problem gambling prevention field began in the broader mental health and addiction space. In 2020, he launched Inspire Health and Performance, providing performance therapy and coaching for athletes, business leaders, and other “high achievers.”
Early in his practice, Jamie began encountering people struggling with gambling. He initially assumed that, based on his training and experience, he was adequately equipped to treat them.
“As I started working in this space, I realized problem gambling treatment was very specialized. There’s just not enough trained professionals and there’s not enough attention being put towards problem gambling,” Jamie said. “So, I became certified.”
When Jamie first reached out to the Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado about a training scholarship, then-President Peggy Brown asked him a pivotal question.
“She essentially asked me what I was doing with my life,” Jamie recalled.
Peggy’s blunt question sparked a commitment to the field where he would soon make a profound impact. Coupled with his own experiences with gambling, Jamie felt he needed to get involved.
A Multi-Pronged Approach to Awareness
The “You Have the Power to Stop the Show” campaign was grounded in a research-driven strategy from the earliest stages of development. Working closely with creative agency Idea Marketing, the Coalition identified the best timing, placement, and format for messaging. While the goal was always to promote awareness of help resources, they knew they had to create something that was new, eye-catching, and catered to limited attention spans.
The flagship of the campaign was a short commercial, which served as the core material for other placements. The 32-second video features a magician on stage whisking away items that may be affected by problem gambling – money, a house, and other essentials – with exaggerated flourishes. The sole audience member, a young man, is initially weighed down by the show. However, as it continues, he suddenly chooses to leave. The man jumps on stage, closes the curtains on the magician, and walks away.
The campaign published the commercial and related assets on multiple platforms, including billboards, college campuses, social media, and even bathroom stalls. These locations were chosen based on earlier research that emphasized the importance of reaching audiences where they are with messaging that resonates with them specifically.
Jamie emphasized the importance of this multi-channel approach: “Some people aren’t on social media, and some wouldn’t see the commercial for whatever reason. That’s why we felt that several types of media were important.”
The campaign itself garnered over 15 million impressions and approximately 300,000 clicks to the Coalition’s website. It also increased calls to the National Problem Gambling Helpline™, connecting individuals to information and resources.
The Role of New Technology
In addition to their multi-channel campaign approach, the Coalition also leveraged geolocation technology to push messaging to specific audiences. Geotargeting, also known as geotargeted advertising, utilizes a user’s information – such as an IP address or GPS location – to provide personalized ads within a certain radius or location.
For this campaign, messaging about resources and problem gambling were pushed to visitors of local casinos, though not immediately. Instead, messaging was targeted to arrive at a moment where reflection could spark action, such as a day after visiting the casino.
Jamie cautions that not all casino visitors have a problem with gambling, and the geotargeting instead provides an opportunity for visitors to reflect on their previous behavior.
“A lot of our research found that the next day is really the most important time to target someone who may be struggling,” Jamie said.
Technology can play a pivotal role in both how people access gambling and how prevention messaging reaches them. To Jamie, embracing key digital platforms and strategies, such as geotargeting, social media, and even AI, is key to keeping pace with emerging trends and audiences.
“If we don’t do it, we’ll get left behind.”
— Jaime Glick on embracing new technology and emerging trends
Advice for the Next Generation of Problem Gambling Professionals
For those entering the field, Jamie offers grounded, practical advice:
“I would ask them to listen and come with a tremendous amount of curiosity; listen to those who are in recovery, listen to those who are struggling, listen to those who have been in the space for a long time and really pull from their knowledge.”
That experience, training, and humility culminated in the Coalition receiving NCPG’s Affiliate Public Awareness Award at the 2025 NCPG Annual Conference, a highly sought recognition by peers, advocates, and leaders in the field. “You Have the Power to Stop the Show” built awareness of problem gambling resources without stigma or shame, meeting Coloradans in the digital and real-world spaces that are part of their everyday lives.
“Listen to those who are in recovery, listen to those who are struggling, listen to those who have been in the space for a long time, and really pull from their knowledge.”
