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Casinos Appeal to Vulnerable Youth

WASHINGTON, DC – As reported by the Imperial Valley Press: "Kevin Groth was 19 when he first made the hour drive from Iowa State University in Ames to the Native American Meskwaki Casino in Tama. The sophomore biology student and his fraternity brothers were looking for some fun, and for college kids in the middle of Iowa, casinos promised fun in neon Technicolor.

"When Groth walked into the 127,669 square foot casino, he had $40 in his pocket. He left with $3,000.

"…Within two years, the Marshalltown, Iowa, youth was $15,000 in debt and had been arrested on felony embezzlement charges. He had stolen thousands of dollars from his job to fund what had become an uncontrollable, secret gambling addiction.

"The $66 billion gaming industry is a cash cow for state and local governments, as well as a fountain of entertainment for millions of adult Americans. But addiction specialists say young people are increasingly vulnerable to gambling's allure, unable to fully understand the risks and consequences of what is widely promoted as a fun, social activity.

"…Experts say more than half of the nation's adolescents are gambling in some form, about one third on a weekly basis. More shocking, they say, is the rate of youths with serious gambling problems, a number two to three times higher than adult gamblers.

"…In the United States, minimum age requirements vary by state and type of gambling, with most in the 18- to 21-year-old range. In Iowa, the minimum age for casino wagering is 21.

"However, the Montreal-based Youth Gambling International estimates most problem gamblers begin gambling on average at age 10.

"After two years in a Waterloo, Iowa, treatment program, Groth, 27, has a new appreciation of what he was up against.

"…Groth's father, a farmer, and mother, a homemaker, had no idea of their son's addiction until the night he was arrested. Groth says his gambling addiction was easy to hide from friends, family and even himself.

"…For many teenagers, experts say, gambling is as common and seemingly benign as playing a video game or instant messaging…"

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