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(Village Times Herald - Setauket,NY,USA)- Parents who strive to keep their children from drinking and using drugs are being warned that they must also stand guard against gambling. According to a Three Village School District publication mailed to residents last month, more than 70 percent of children between the ages of 10 and 17 years have gambled within the past year. That figure represents a 25 percent increase from 1988, according to the district.
The University of Connecticut Health Center reported in 2005 that 4 to 7 percent of teenagers had gambling problems, and in Connecticut, "… the rate of problem gambling among high school students is twice that of adults."
While the law prohibits anyone under the age of 18 from playing the New York Lottery, and gambling arenas that serve alcohol bar anyone under the age of 21, teens are increasingly finding venues for gambling through the Internet, at the homes of friends, or by illegal purchase of lottery tickets at area stores.
The study by the University of Connecticut found that teen gambling is on the rise due to, among other factors, the proliferation of televised poker, and the "… prevailing cultural attitude that says gambling is fun, glamorous and possibly the source of vast wealth."
The mailing produced by Three Village listed several common types of gambling, including lottery tickets and raffles, but also noted newer gambling outlets, including Internet gambling sites and gambling machines at restaurants. "It is important for parents to be aware of the different types of gambling available in today's society, reasons teens give for gambling, and the warning signs that your child might be addicted to gambling, a problem sometimes referred to as the 'hidden illness,'" the publication noted.
Three Village also warns parents that addicted gamblers display certain telltale signs, including preoccupation with gambling, irritability when not gambling, and lying about the level of involvement.
According helpguide.org, a nonprofit website, the younger a person begins gambling, the more likely it is that they will develop a gambling addiction. And, according to the Washington, D.C.-based National Council on Problem Gambling, "… adults who seek treatment for problem gambling report having started gambling at an early age."
In 1998, a study found that about $5 billion was lost by gambling addicts who could not control their losses. Additionally, according to helpguide.org, studies "… have concluded that two out of three pathological gamblers commit illegal acts in order to pay gambling-related debts."
The National Council on Problem Gambling also noted that gambling addicts do not necessarily gamble every day — "The frequency of a person's gambling does not determine whether or not they have a gambling problem" — and the measure of whether a person has a gambling addiction is not taken by the amount of money lost, but rather when "Gambling … causes a negative impact on any area of the individual's life."
The Three Village school district encouraged gambling addicts to visit Gamblers Anonymous at gamblers anonymous.org for meeting dates and times. Students with gambling problems can also seek help from their school counselors.
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