Teen Gambling

[Chy]

Teen Gambling
By Robert R. Perkinson, Ph.D.
Jerry, sixteen years old and new to treatment, leaned forward restlessly and said, “I started by betting on sports games. I’m into football see, but soon I was betting on all of the sports, basketball, baseball, soccer, even tennis, you name it. I did pretty well at first. I was making good money, and I said to myself, ‘this is pretty neat.’ I couldn’t wait to get the sports page every day so I could work on the point spread. I guess it all started there. Soon I had a bookie, they’re not hard to find, and then I discovered Internet gambling. Sports betting and scratch tickets pale in comparison to that, it’s instant. I’d be up all night betting and then have problems getting to school. But who needed school. I had all this money I could win without an education. Education was for suckers. Then I started loosing, I mean really loosing. I couldn’t make a good bet, and if I did win, I’d put it right back in. I tried to stop but I kept going back. It was as if the computer owned me. I was at it all day and all night sometimes, trying to make up the losses. I had to steal from my parents to pay back my credit card bills and then I used their credit card numbers, punched them in just like they were my own. Well that did it. I had to steal their credit card bills from the mail so they wouldn’t know what I was doing, but I knew if I didn’t win soon they would know. When the credit card companies started calling the house I was done. I couldn’t always get to the phone first even if I tried. When the truth came out, the family was thousands of dollars in debt. That night I tried to kill myself. I couldn’t stand hurting my parents like that. That’s when I ended up here.”
The story is familiar isn’t it? An innocent game, a lark of adolescence, turns bad and then lethal. Addiction professionals know how this game goes with drugs and alcohol but gambling seems different, a pure behavior--no drug. But from recent research in the neurobiology of addiction we now know that all addiction works through the mesolimbic dopamine system in the brain. This triggers the endogenous opioids that are many times more powerful than morphine. Recent evidence shows that naltrexone blocks the reinforcing properties of alcohol and other substances and it does the same thing for gambling. All of the addictions have a neurobiological basis; so pathological gambling is a chronic relapsing brain disease, like alcoholism. Pathological gambling has all of the hallmarks of addiction including tolerance and withdrawal (Kim, 1998; Wray and Dickerson, 1981.) Further evidence suggesting neurological dopaminergic involvement comes from a study that found nearly 50% of a group of pathological gamblers carried the DRD2 gene receptor variant so common in other addictions and the more severe the gambling problem the more likely the individual was to be a carrier for this receptor variant (Comings, Rosenthal et al, 1996).
This country is in big trouble and we don’t know it. Seventy years ago it was illegal to gamble in America. Gambling was considered immoral by our grandparents. Today you can gamble in all but three states, Hawaii, Utah and Tennessee, and states actually encourage their citizens to gamble. Gambling is big business in America earning the gaming industry 50.9 billion dollars in net revenue annually.
Gambling is very attractive, particularly to people who need money. The Illinois Lottery did a study to see who gambles, and found people who made less than ten thousand dollars a year gamble six times more often than those who earn over fifty thousand dollars a year. People know they can win millions by risking a dollar. A recent program on the Discovery Channel stated that gambling is so attractive, that when the powerball is high, ninety percent of eligible adults buy a ticket. There is no other commodity where the percentages are this high, and there is no product just a chance of winning. The real odds of winning a state lottery are approximately fourteen million to one, the same odds as being hit by lightening seven times while waiting in the lottery line.
Our parents grew up thinking that gambling was wrong, but our children are growing up with gambling is as easy as going to McDonald's. For the first time in history, gambling is available close to home and now even inside of the home with the Internet. People can walk to and from work and gamble. Teenagers can gamble away their future in their rooms. Governors go on television and encourage their citizens to bet and tell them how much they can win. Gambling is good they say, it’s fun, no one gets hurt, and everybody is doing it. We in the addictions field know that’s what we hear on television about alcohol and substance abuse kills 24% of Americans.
Most people who gamble enjoy gambling as a game; it's exciting and fun. But some citizens are caught up in an addiction as powerful as drug addiction.
Where do our children learn that gambling is safe? To answer that question you have to look into the average American home. In the average American home, the average parent, spends three minutes a day talking to their child. While in the average home, the average child watches television 4-8 hour per day. Our children know that gambling is fun and safe.
If you don’t think teenagers can gamble because it’s illegal, think of alcohol and drug abuse. A recent survey in Vermont of 21,297 high school students found that 53% of the students gambled in the last twelve months and 7% reported significant gambling problems (Proimos 1999). Gambling problems are at least as high in children as they are in adults.
According to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual oriental Disorders, Fourth Edition, pathological gambling is a persistent and recurrent maladaptive gambling behavior as indicated by five or more of the following criteria:
1. The individual is preoccupied with gambling (i.e. preoccupied with reliving past gambling experiences, handicapping or planning the next venture, or thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble.
2. The individual needs to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement.
3. The individual has repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back or stop gambling.
4. The individual is restless or irritable with attempting to cut down or stop gambling.
5. The individual gambles as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a dysphoric mood (i.e., feeling of helplessness, guilty, anxiety, and depression).
6. The individual after losing money gambling often returns another day to get even ("chasing" one's losses).
7. The individual lies to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling.
8. The individual has committed illegal acts such as forgery, fraud, theft, or embezzlement to finance gambling.
9. The individual has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, education or career opportunity because of gambling.
10.The individual relies on others to provide money or relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling.
Pathological gambling is an addiction that can be treated essentially the same way as other addictions--with certain exceptions. To recover, gamblers like all addicts need to get honest with themselves and others, go to recovery group meetings and help other people there, and get on a spiritual journey to God. Gamblers need to understand from the onset of treatment that there is an answer to their financial problems. There is an excellent financial worksheet available from the Gamblers Anonymous general service office that will help you through the financial history, or if the local GA group has a pressure relieve group, they can do it. A financial solution must be presented from the moment a problem gambler comes into treatment. If you don’t do this, they will be out the door. “I know you are worried about the money, but if you stick with the recovery program we will develop a program so you can pay everyone back. You must be responsible for every penny you owe.” Professionals shouldn’t encourage a pathological gambler to go bankrupt, that’s called a bail out, and this often triggers more gambling because the gambler thinks they have a clean slate and they can start over.
The drug of choice for gamblers is money and the biological chemicals it creates, so they can’t carry money around for a while. Someone responsible person has to keep the money and give them the exact amount they need each day. You wouldn’t want an alcoholic walking around with a pocket full of whiskey. After the gambler has developed a stable self-directed program of recovery, they can gradually take control of their finances.
So what happened to Jerry? First we got the whole story even though he didn’t want to remember it all, we finally got the last of what he did and what he owes. Gamblers hold out on what they owe, so check carefully. To get the facts you have to create an environment that is so gentle, safe and loving that the patient can search for and share the truth. Then Jerry learned about the disease of addiction. Its genetic and neurobiological not just that he’s bad. He worked through the first five steps of GA, and then he began helping others, showing them the way, restoring meaning and worth to his life. Then Jerry searched for a connection with his higher power. Gamblers have a hard time with this one; too much ego can get in the way. But when you are powerless, things change. Through daily prayer and meditation Jerry sought conscious contact with God and began to get answers from God, finding new direction to his life, and long with that new happiness and peace. This was what he was seeking in gambling. Of course he didn’t want to go to recovery group meetings, he was special and all, but he finally agreed and is going once a day and to aftercare once a week. Jerry also takes 50-100 mg of Naltrexone a day. This cuts the craving and the reinforcing properties of gambling in case he slips.
So generally, gamblers need to do three things to stay away from gambling. They need to get honest with themselves and others, go to GA meetings and help others, and get on a spiritual journey. Many can benefit from the use of Naltrexone. In regard to treatment outcome, fifty percent of gamblers stay clean with treatment alone, seventy percent if they go through treatment and then regularly attend GA, and ninety percent if they go through treatment, go to GA, and attend aftercare. Pretty simple, just like any addiction. Remember, gamblers need a financial payback plan, and they can’t carry money.

National Council on Problem Gambling 10 Questions About Gambling Behavior
1. Have you often gambled longer than you had planned?
2. Have you often gambled until your last dollar was gone?
3. Have thoughts of gambling have caused you to lose sleep?
4. Have you used your income or savings to gamble while letting bills go unpaid?
5. Have you made repeated, unsuccessful attempts to stop gambling?
6. Have you broken the law or considered breaking the law to finance your gambling?
7. Have you borrowed money to finance your gambling?
8. Have you felt depressed or suicidal because of your gambling losses?
9. Have you been remorseful after gambling?
10. Have you gambled to get money to meet your financial obligations?
If you or someone you know answers "Yes" to any of these questions, consider seeking assistance from a professional regarding this gambling behavior.
References
Comings, DE, Rosenthal RJ, Lesieur HR, et al (1996). The molecular genetics of pathological gambling” The DRD2 gene. Pharmacogenetics.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Fourth Edition. American Psychiatric Association, Washington, D.C. 1994.
Kim, SW (1998). Opioid antagonists in the treatment of impulse control disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 59:159-164.
Proimos, Jenny; DuRant, Robert H.; Pierce, Judith Dwyer and Goodman, Elizabeth (1998). Gambling and Other Risk Behaviors Among 8th to 12th Grade Students. Pediatrics 102(2):e23.
Wray, I and Dickerson, MG (1981). Cessation of high frequency gambling and “withdrawal symptoms.” British Journal of Addiction 76:401-405).

[Chy]

High Stakes
Teens Gambling With Their Futures
By Laura Paul

She started gambling when she was 7. Her parents, both alcoholics, thought it was cute to have a child playing poker games with the adults. Karen H., who doesn't use her full last name as a rule of anonymity through Gamblers Anonymous, has not gambled for more than 24 years. She is the executive secretary for Gamblers Anonymous International Service Office in Los Angeles, Calif.

Even though legal gambling is restricted to those over 18 years of age, an increasing number of teenagers borrow money, neglect themselves, miss class, pawn items and lie to hide their gambling addictions – and the Internet makes it easy.
A True Story
"I gambled as a teenager," Karen says. "I learned how to shoot dice, and I shot dice with the boys in the co-ed locker room at my junior high school. It was just the excitement. I took money out of my mom's purse to gamble."
Her gambling also manifested itself in seemingly less harmful ways. "[I] used to throw baseball cards up against a garage door with friends, and whoever got closest to the garage door got the baseball cards," she says.
Karen even got married in Las Vegas. She agreed to join Gamblers Anonymous as a way to pacify her husband, thinking she would quit gambling for a while and then go back to it. "My marriage was on the verge of disaster, but I did not care about anybody," she says.
She quit gambling when her children were 9 and 13. "I would be gone for a day – maybe two days – when the clubs started staying open all night, and I would do things I'm not real proud of like leave my 7-year-old," she says. "I'd drop her off at school and say, 'Now you wait here on the street corner for me. I'll be here to get you. You have a dentist appointment,' and I'd never show up to get her. Same thing with my son. They would be waiting for me on the porch when I got home. Sometimes it was raining. Sometimes I did not get home."
Karen says teenagers occasionally show up at Gamblers Anonymous meetings, but most are having too much fun gambling to give it up. She still is not sure why gambling became an obsession for her. "My parents were both alcoholics, and they died drinking alcohol," she says. "I think one of my reasons for gambling was to escape the reality of my life at that time. I realized I could have a better way of life. I do it one day at a time."

[Chy]

Teens + Gambling = Trouble
By Beth Levine
"Around two years ago, I saw the poker games on TV, and thought it looked like fun. I started playing with my brother and a neighbor for low stakes. Then games started getting bigger with more people and more money. It started growing."
- Jason Zuckerbrod, 18, a senior at Staples High School, Westport
That was just the beginning. From there, Zuckerbrod started gambling on the Internet (Texas Hold 'Em poker was his favorite). He used money earned from caddying, and although he claims he never lost or won significant amounts, he admits that at the height of his interest, he was gambling online or with friends daily.
His parents knew about the poker games with friends but not about gambling online. When they found out, they forbid him to continue the online games. The poker games at friends' houses continue.
Zuckerbrod doesn't see gambling as a big problem. "It's a social event," he says, ignoring the fact that the online gambling is solitary. "Compared to what kids could be doing, it's relatively safe."
That's the blasé attitude teen advocates are trying to combat. "For many, gambling can grow from an occasional social activity to a compulsion. Kids get obsessed and it can become a lifelong problem. It's an addictive behavior," says Bob Vietro, clinical director of Positive Directions: The Center for Prevention and Recovery in Westport and facilitator of the Center's The Bettor Choice Program. Online betting, especially, can become addictive because the gambler loses track of time, and if using a credit card, does not see hard cash fleeing.
Several research studies have shown that 4 percent to 7 percent of teens have gambling problems. According to the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, the rate of problem gambling among high school students is twice that of adults. (Right now, it's mostly teen boys who gamble, but girls are starting to get in on the act.)
"Most adolescents don't recognize that they have a problem. Teens will move in and out of a gambling problem but during that transient phase, a lot of bad things can happen," says Jeremiah Weinstock, Ph.D., post-doctoral fellow, department of psychiatry, University of Connecticut Health Center School of Medicine. Bad things such as:
Huge debts, which may cause the teen to steal from others or sell his own things.
Depression.
Disruption of relationships with friends and family.
Involvement with bookies, who may be connected with organized crime.
Teen gambling is on the rise across the country, due to a couple of factors. One is the glitzy, celebrity-filled, high-stakes poker games that fill the cable TV channels. The other is the prevailing cultural attitude that says gambling is fun, glamorous and possibly the source of vast wealth. Casinos are springing up all over the landscape. Dependent on the huge revenue that lotteries and other gaming activities provide, state governments widely promote participation. No wonder. According to Connecticut's Division of Special Revenue, approximately $700 million annually from casinos, lotteries and other gaming activities is deposited into the General Fund. According to a study conducted by the National Opinion Research Council, people who live within 50 miles of a casino are at double the risk for problem or pathological gambling.
Unfortunately, many parents view games as friendly, social events. They know where their kids are and assume their child won't develop a problem. In fact, at a recent forum that Positive Directions held on the topic of teen gambling, there were more media in the audience than parents. "But it can take years before you realize that gambling is a problem for your child. Do you want to take the chance?" asks Tamara L. Petro, assistant director of CCPG. Research from the National Council on Problem Gambling says that many adults in treatment for gambling problems started gambling as youths -- some as young as 8.
If parents are going to allow gambling, what are the signs that their teen has developed a gambling addiction? The social gambler goes with a set amount of money and just wants to have fun. A pathological gambler is addicted to the rush he gets while gambling, that win or lose, he will do anything to stay in the game.
According to the CCPG, red flags are:
Borrows from family and friends and doesn't repay.
Sells personal belongings.
Lies and steals.
Has unexplained debts or large amounts of cash.
Receives many phone calls from strangers.
Makes many calls to "900" gambling numbers.
Has unexplained absences from school, work or home.
Seems moody, distracted, anxious or depressed.
Is overly concerned with sports scores.
Has withdrawn from relationships, social groups or activities.
As for those friendly poker games, parents should step in if they see that the pot is getting too big or the kids are starting to write IOUs to each other or to parents.
"People see problem gamblers as having character flaws. They wonder why the gambler just doesn't stop. But it might be out of his control to stop. Pathological gambling is diagnosed as a mental disorder," says Petro. Fortunately, a problem gambler can be helped with therapy, behavior modification and sometimes medication.
The best way to prevent teen gambling addiction is not to allow it to start. As the CCPG notes, treatment is available but prevention is the first step. "Parents need to set limits, be clear about expectations and then follow up with their teen," says Weinstock
© University of Connecticut Health Center. All rights reserved.
http://www.uchc.edu/ocomm/features/s...ngambling.html

[Chy]

Adolescent Compulsive Gambling
The Hidden Epidemic
Ed Looney, Executive Director
Kevin O'Neill
The Problem
It is no coincidence that adolescent gambling has surged in New Jersey and other states that have legalized and glamorized various forms of wagering from state lotteries, playing the horses, to casino gambling. Today, abstinence from gambling is rare among teenagers.
In a 1991 Council on-site survey of 50 New Jersey high schools and 3,000 students, over 90% had gambled at least once that year and that over 30% gambled at least once a week. During the school year ending 1992, police investigated gambling activities in nineteen (19) U.S. high schools, fourteen (14) of which were in New Jersey. A survey from the University of Minnesota, by Dr. Ken Winters, indicated that youth are four (4) times the risk of adults for developing pathological (compulsive) gambling.
In 1991, Atlantic City casinos refused entry to approximately 194,000 underage gamblers. However, over 21,000 had to be removed from the casino floor. According to Dr. Durand Jacobs, a psychologist and past Vice President of the National Council on Problem Gambling, "little will change until society begins to view teenage gambling with the same alarm directed at drugs and alcohol. Gambling is the addiction of the 90s."
The Teen Gambler
Tim, 17, was caught at an Atlantic City blackjack table. At 18, he owed a loan shark $6,000. "You don't do it for the money" he says "you do it for the action. You sometimes lose to punish yourself."
Mary, 16, gambled everyday. "I'm worried about my friend, I think she has a problem and I don't know where she gets the money" says her friend, age 16.
Dave, 17, made book at his North Jersey high school. He was caught when another boy tried to sell his mother's ring to pay a debt to Dave while on school property. According to both police and school officials, "both youths face serious criminal charges."
The Illness
In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association accepted pathological (compulsive) gambling as a "disorder of impulse control." Teenage compulsive gamblers are driven to gamble in the same way that an alcoholic needs a periodic drink or a drug addict needs a "fix."
The Progression of the Illness
According to the late Robert L. Custer. M.D., compulsive gambling has three phases: winning , losing and the desperation phases.
The Search for Action or Winning Phase
The gambling wins enhance the youth's self-image and ego. Losses are rationalized as bad luck. Youths may daydream about gambling to escape reality and think that gambling is their most exciting ACTIVITY. Free time, lunch break or recess is often spent in involved in gambling activities.
The Chase or Losing Phase
As losses increase and self-esteem is jeopardized, the young gambler will borrow money to get even and continue to bet. Lies to family, girl and boyfriends and family disputes escalate. Selling of prized possessions such as stereos, CD collection, sporting equipment, or musical instruments occurs to cover increasing bets. Other common danger signals include missing school, work or other important events due to gambling activities.
The Desperation or Rock Bottom Phase
Desperation occurs as the teen gambler becomes obsessed with getting even to cover money lost through gambling. The young gambler can experience severe mood swings. fail in school, and commit crimes such as selling drugs, shoplifting, stealing from parents or embezzling from their employer to get money to gamble. Panic sets in at the thought that the gambling action will cease and at this point, nothing or no one comes before a bet. Suicidal thoughts may be considered as a way out.
Hope for Recovery
The place to learn more about this problem is the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey. Working with parents, teachers, and community resources. Teens can learn that gambling has its down side; and like drugs or alcohol, gambling can lead down the road to addiction. However, just like other addictions, compulsive gambling is diagnosable and treatable.
Adolescent Gambling Prevention Program
The Council developed the program in response to its' mission to protect vulnerable groups (children and senior citizens) in our state from exploitation by unscrupulous promoters of gambling enterprises and from lack of overall awareness of the problem. Working with the Governor, the New Jersey legislature, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, the New Jersey Department of Education, other concerned officials and citizens, the Council provides adolescent compulsive gambling identification, prevention or treatment information. One of our objectives is to have in each New Jersey school district an employed staff member who would be an available resource on the identification, prevention and treatment of adolescent compulsive gambling.
The Council, as part of its outreach efforts, will provide the following direct support to interested schools, parent-teacher associations and the general public:
Peer Leader Training (PLT) Program for schools that already have PLTs and want to enhance their ongoing prevention efforts;
Trained Prevention Specialists with on-site presentations;
Videos, World Wide Web and printed media;
Radio and Television Public Service Announcements.
The message to young people is that, as with other potentially addictive behaviors, gambling also holds choices and severe consequences.
The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, Inc. provides:
Public Education
Including seminars, continuing education in-services, and conferences for New Jersey corporations, governmental agencies, mental health
professionals, educators and employee assistance professionals (EAPs).
Professional Training
Knowledge and advanced skill training in the areas of assessment diagnosis, treatment objectives, dual addictions, legal implications and aftercare.
Prevention Programming
With emphasis on adolescents and senior citizens.
Information Clearinghouse
Statewide toll-free Helpline and information services through 1-8OO-GAMBLER™ or our premier website at www.800gambler.org
Treatment Programming
Facilitate development of and provide information and referral to compulsive gamblers and their families.
Legislative and Public Policy Consultation
Maintain coordination and liaison with state officials, professional associations and educational institutions, providing them with current information in the field of gambling treatment. In addition, periodically review, modify, update and improve current standards of competence, skills and knowledge within the compulsive (pathological) gambling profession.
The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey. Inc. is a statewide, private non-profit 501(c)3 corporation and works closely with the National Council on Problem Gambling and its' 34 state affiliates.
Help is Available:
Call the Council @ (609) 588-5515 or our 24-hour Helpline 1-800-GAMBLER©.
For help outside of New Jersey please call the National Helpline @ 1-800-522-4700.
Do you have a gambling problem?
Here are ten (10) questions that can help you identify a teenage compulsive gambling problem:
1. Do you lose time from school due to gambling?
2. Have your grades dropped because of gambling?
3. Do you display intense interest in sports related literature or sporting events?
4. Do you make a few calls a week to sports phones, the lottery or contact gambling web sites?
5. Has gambling language or references increased in your conversation?
6. Do you flash large amounts of money or show an exaggerated display of clothes or jewelry?
7. Did you ever gamble to escape worry or trouble?
8. Have your family or friends noticed a change in your behavior or personality (e.g., irritable, impatient or sarcastic)?
9. Do arguments. disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?
10. Did you ever do anything illegal to finance your gambling?
If after answering these questions, you think you need help......
TAKE THE FIRST STEP TOWARD RECOVERY and Call 1-800-GAMBLER©. If you're outside of New Jersey, call the National Council's Helpline @ 1-800-522-4700.
http://www.800gambler.org/ArticleDet...px?ContentID=4

[Chy]

Poker Pups
The current poker craze is capturing people's imagination, especially online.
Young people are eager to get in on the action.
by Thomas Dobby
“I’m all in,” says Greg Appleby, excitedly. “I’ll call, what do you have?” counters brother Mike. Greg’s hand of pocket aces has Mike’s suited King/Queen beat. “Alright, I’m still in the game,” says Greg, grinning from ear to ear. They are playing “No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em,” the poker game featured in “The World Series of Poker.” The Appleby boys Mike, 18, and Greg, 15 are playing with some friends, and oldest brother Andrew, 20, who will be the oldest participant, and consequently, the only one of age to legally gamble.
“We play at least 2 or 3 times a week,” says Mike, 18. He and his 2 brothers have plenty of neighbourhood friends who love to congregate at their house and get in on the action. “What else are you going to do on a weekday in the winter?” asks the high-schooler. The Appleby boys have turned their suburban Toronto basement into a mini-casino, with six or seven people playing cards in an average game. It is not surprising. Poker is everywhere, on TV, on the Internet, and most of all, in people’s homes.


Poker is just one of the ways that teens are gambling in Toronto, and throughout North America. Sports betting is also hugely popular, whether it be American college basketball’s “March Madness,” or the multi-billion dollar NFL gambling industry. The increased accessibility of the Internet for young people has certainly aided in the boom. “When we’re not playing for real, I practice on the internet,” says Greg Appleby, the 15-year-old poker phenom. “He wins a lot of the time,” says brother Mike. It is not hard to see the appeal that poker manifests to young people. “I can actually beat my brothers at something,” says Greg.
Poker games, tips and information is about as tough to come by on the internet as porn. A simple “Google” search for poker sites quickly lists 128 million links. Obviously the days of old men sitting around a bar playing a gentleman’s game are over. Today twenty-somethings, teens, and tweens are intensely planning their next bet. “Usually after work I just go online and play for about an hour. It’s something to do,” says Andrew.
Whatever the outlet, the increase in teen gambling for some, is quite alarming. Heather Chalmers, an assistant professor at Brock University, who specializes in researching adolescent gambling believes that youth are susceptible to the pitfalls of gambling. “I think it’s potentially problematic because it sends a message to youth that this is behaviour that has no potentially negative consequences,” she says. However, Brian and Irene Appleby, the boys’ parents, do not see it as particularly dangerous. “They play all the time, and I can tell they really love it,” says mother Irene, “I couldn’t ask them to stop now.” Adds Brian, “I guess it’s better that they are at home doing it under our noses than out somewhere else, or doing something worse,” “There are worse addictions to have.” The word addiction, when talking about kid playing poker is quite apt. “We're talking about millions of addicted kids," says Jeffrey Derevensky, co-director the Youth Gambling Research and Treatment Center at McGill University in Montreal.
The question becomes, why has there been such a boom in teen gambling involvement? "This is the first generation of kids to grow up at a time when gambling is legal and widespread,” says Derevensky. This is part of the explanation, but it is also aided by many other factors. According to the Newfoundland and Labrador Health and Community Services, these reasons include: exposure to gambling from a young age, family problems, peer pressure, and the need for “action.”


The grand-daddy of all sporting events to bet on is the superbowl. The NFL showcase is becoming less and less about the game and more about the point spread, and who will cover. Certainly teens, a huge market for the NFL, are not exempt from wagering what money they may have on the game. According to tsn.ca, the 2005 Superbowl had over 1 billion dollars wagered on it. This figure doesn’t include bets between friends and fellow students for high-schoolers. Terry Elman a youth Counselor says, "In almost every school, someone develops that is a student bookmaker." Teens do not have to search far to get in on the gambling action.
There are some warning signs for parents of teenagers that are concerned about their gambling habits. A young person who gambles often may borrow money with trouble paying it back, show an unusual interest in sports games, and have overly emotional reactions to them. Lying, and covering-up betting situations is also common. Although there are warning signs, and steps to be taken to combat excessive teen gambling, it is impossible to shield young people from the all-pervading world of betting. The wide availability of gambling outlets in many facets of a teen’s life ensures that the decision to gamble or not will come form the teens themselves. What does this mean in the long run? "We don't know if the numbers (of addicted gamblers) are going to decrease as they get older," says Jeffrey Derevensky. Certainly the number of teens finding their way into the world of gambling is on the rise.
“Playing poker is my favourite part of the week,” says Greg Appleby. “I always think about it.”
http://www.journalism.ryerson.ca/onl...ife/tdobby.htm