Thursday, March 29, 2007

A gambling-watchdog agency, always worried that adults are falling into
dependence on wagering, is seeing unmistakable signs that adolescents are in
even worse peril. The New York State Council on Problem Gambling is about to
publish results of a study that says that, whereas in 1998, 4 percent of
teenagers were at risk to become addicted to gambling, in 2007, 20 percent
are. That astonishing leap is attributable to a number of factors, Assistant
Executive Director Mariangela Millea told the Press-Republican last week.
First of all, what is a "problem gambler?" To the council, it is anyone for
whom gambling adversely affects his or her life. With adolescents, it might
be manifest in spending their lunch money to gamble or missing school, for
example. Eventually, their behavior would get out of control to feed their
habit. Some of the factors that compound gambling problems are: Gambling
isn't stigmatized, the way drinking and drugs are. Says Millea, "Go into a
classroom and ask how many kids have had a drink or taken a drug in the past
month, and no hands will go up. Ask how many have bought a lottery ticket,
and lots of hands will go up." Society imposes little shame on gambling.
Opportunities to gamble have proliferated over the past decade. The state
lottery and Mega-Millions are widely advertised. Video gaming machines are
growing in popularity and are now in sites all over the state. Texas Hold
'Em has gained a foothold. And Internet gambling is available, with
participants merely having to state that they are of age to gain access.
Lottery tickets are now available from vending machines, which have no
oversight for the age of the purchaser. In effect, anyone is welcome to play
the games. Millea says scratch-off tickets are by far the most popular forms
of gambling for kids. "Parents will buy their kids a scratch-off, and when
they win, everybody will be excited for them - hooray! You won!" No stigma
there. The council is trying to get the consequences of gambling entered
into the curriculum of public schools so the dangers will be widely known,
as the dangers of drugs, drinking and sex are now known. The council has
asked newspapers across the state to publish its problem-gambling hotline
daily with the winning lottery numbers. The Press-Republican has been doing
that for several weeks and will continue to do it. Millea is right: Gambling
is broadly accepted, in its moderate forms. The lottery, church bingo and
office pools are seen as harmless - even beneficial - pastimes, in most
circles. But even people who see gambling that way would have to admit that
when kids are targeted, it's time for action. If adolescent gambling has
grown so explosively - multiplied five times in nine years - we need to
respect the danger of this not-so-harmless diversion.