Tuesday, March 27, 2007

March Madness could be affecting your kid. The head of an agency that helps
New Yorkers adversely affected by gambling says there's an "epidemic" of
young people with gambling problems. James Maney, executive director of the
New York Council on Problem Gambling. says if your teen seems preoccupied
with the NCAA basketball tournament brackets, that could be a sign that he
or she has a potential gambling problem. Maney is concerned because a new
survey suggests nearly 20 percent of New York students in grade seven
through 12 have a gambling problem. Maney said that a "perfect storm" of
factors, including heavy promotion of gambling in the media and general
acceptance of gaming, are contributing to the rise in youth gambling. He
said the younger a child starts gambling, the greater the chance he or she
will develop a problem with it.