6
community news
november8
2011
Kids and Gambling: The Hidden Problem
Kids are exposed to gambling every day--turn on TV, there’s a poker tournament; • Comparing the results of Oregon youth surveys over time, many risky behaviors
walk into a minimart or grocery store -- Lottery tickets; log onto a computer -- are decreasing, yet gambling has significantly increased (SWS 2010)
popup messages from gambling sites. Even churches and schools use gambling for
fundraising, so the pro-gambling message is everywhere; and Oregon is among the
top states in the nation for gambling accessibility.
Adolescent brains offer a perfect environment for gambling, with their preference
for high activity/low effort/high stimulation. Add to that the fact that parents and
schools aren’t talking to kids about the risks, and you can see why we’re con-
cerned. Too often we hear “Kids gambling too much? No way...if they were, we’d
know it”; yet, the Oregon Student Wellness Survey and other research data tell a
very different story:
• Most Oregon adolescents (63 percent) have gambled and it starts early (more
than 1/3 of 6th graders have already gambled).
• Kids who gamble are almost twice as likely to engage in alcohol use and binge
• One youth per classroom already has a (hidden) gambling problem. (Volberg,
drinking (SWS 2010)
2008
• More Oregon kids reported gambling in the past 30 days than had used alcohol,
cigarettes or marijuana (SWS 2010)
• Kids who gamble are more likely to skip school, smoke and use marijuana. (SWS
2010)
• Youth of color have higher overall rates of gambling. (SWS 2010)
• Adolescents in families with parents who gamble are twice as likely to be an at-risk
gambler and four times as likely to be a problem gambler. (Volberg, 2008)
• Parents and teachers don’t talk as much to kids about gambling as they do other risk
behaviors. (SWS 2010)
Key points
1. Whether you see it or not, kids are gambling and many teens already have gambling
problems. Educate yourself and then talk to kids about the risks of gambling -- don’t
let the only messages they see be those coming from the gaming industry.
2. Gambling is not a safe alternative to alcohol or drug use. Youth who gamble have
almost twice the risk of alcohol and drug use and other risk behaviors. More young
people are developing problems with gambling and it can become addictive.
3. Kids who start gambling early are more likely to develop gambling problems.
Honest education about gambling is important to preparing young people to make
responsible choices.
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