Thursday, November 09, 2006

All in the name of responsible gambling, students at the McMaster University
campus got a chance yesterday to win two $100 certificates or a grand prize
of a $1,500 scholarship. Staff of the nonprofit Responsible Gambling Council
buttonholed students and warned them of the problem signs of gambling as
they handed out draw ballots at the Mohawk College Institute of Applied
Health Sciences at the Mac campus. There's a worrying increase in the number
of young people 18 to 24 trying to win big at poker and online gambling and
the council wants them to know where and how they can get help. A recent
survey indicated 6.9 per cent of young people experienced moderate to severe
gambling problems. It found participation in online poker among 18-24 year
olds rose from 1.4 per cent in 2001 to 5.5 per cent by 2005, an increase of
almost 400 per cent. So strategically placed across from a Tim Hortons kiosk
at the health sciences building, the council spread its message. The group
will visit about 30 university and college campuses in the months ahead as
part of a Know the Score campaign. In addition, Ontario will spend $2
million on a new public awareness campaign on youth gambling. The public
awareness campaign, similar to another one last year by the council, will
run through the winter months. A TV ad last year featured a young man who
started cutting off contact from friends because he became addicted to
online gambling. "Young people see the glamourization of gambling and they
need to hear the other side," said council CEO John Kelly. "The vast
majority of people who gamble are not ... a whiz kid who made a lot of
money. "We need to get out there with the message this can be recreation or
it can be something that can get you into a lot of trouble. "They need to
have a realistic understanding of your chances of winning and losing."