Shauna Altrogge says a few thoughts come to mind as she sees the recent proliferation of sports betting ads on television, especially as it relates to youth.

“I think one of them is how socially acceptable gambling has become in our culture, but also to a further extent, how socially acceptable sports gambling has become,” she said.

As the director of the Gambling Awareness Program with the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Saskatchewan division, it’s part of Altrogge’s job to educate the public about how to gamble responsibly.

Her organization has called Saskatchewan “a province where gambling is extremely common.” It said roughly 75 per cent of Saskatchewan adults gamble and spend, on average, $855 on gambling each year.