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Youth Gambling Up 50 Percent

“The rise in teen-age gambling is one of the more damaging social costs of this seemingly innocuous American pastime. Millions of American teens are illegally buying lottery tickets, playing cards for cash or betting online. What starts small can mushroom into an addiction. In fact, experts say children are at greater risk than adults of developing a lifelong gambling problem.

“The number of U.S. and Canadian teens aged 12 to 17 with a gambling dependency has shot up 50 percent in a decade, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling. The majority of American 12-year olds have taken a first step down that path. It may seem like no big deal when Grandma and Grandpa take a bus with their friends to a casino resort and play the slot machines or blackjack table. But adults are role models, and the kids are watching.

“…Does gambling really reap the financial rewards its proponents promise? Granted, there's initial construction and employment at casino resorts; but local crime rates rise, and nearby property values plummet. It gets worse. Regional economies spend more than a dollar for every dollar they take in, according to research referenced in the Boston Business Journal. Budget deficits in Connecticut and New Jersey, which both have casinos, forced the states to lay off thousands of employees. Louisiana had to cut gambling taxes in half after casinos threatened to leave because profits were too low.

“…Internet gamblers are the most at risk for addiction, according to a study by the University of Connecticut Health Center. Some 74 percent of those with gambling problems bet online; they were more likely to be younger and single, seeking an anonymous thrill…”

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