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Canadian YMCA, YWCA Runs Children Gambling Awareness Program

"…Every morning, he spends $2 on a Pro-Line ticket, hoping for a big payoff in the government-run sports lottery.

"…With friends, he bets on hockey games and who can catch the football with one hand.

"…Internet gambling, lottery tickets, card games and Pro-Line have become a regular pastime for many adolescents, especially males, despite legal age limits.

"In response to the growing trend of teenage gambling, the YMCA-YWCA is running a pilot project in elementary and high schools teaching pupils and students about gambling and its risks.

"But agencies that work with gamblers see few, if any, youths, says Bonnie Orvidas, an addiction counsellor with Alcohol and Drug Services of Thames Valley.

"…Orvidas describes gambling as an addiction that is not taken as seriously as other addictions.

"…And the risks are high. Orvidas says 90 per cent of problem gamblers have depression and one in five will attempt suicide. In fact, suicide rates are higher for gamblers than any other addiction.

"Why do teens gamble?

"Adolescents often gamble to escape the stresses of their lives, Orvidas says.

"…Orvidas says that parental gambling corresponds with youth gambling.

"Adolescents whose parents gamble have twice the rate of problem gambling. S

"he believes educational programs about the risks of gambling need to begin in elementary school because adolescent problem gamblers often start as early as age 10.

"Sometimes it can be as innocent as kids playing each other for their marbles…"

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