Teenagers who gamble
Every likes the thrill of winning money on an outside chance, a flutter on the Kentucky Derby, a small bet on the Super Bowl, even the occasional play on the slot machines are all harmless fun, or are they? For most of us, gambling is an occasional habit, a small moment of excitement followed by sensible realization that the odds are generally stacked against us and that it is a fast way to lose money. It is also a pastime that is illegal for the under 18's in all states and in some states you have to be 21 years old.
Some states, like New York, allow teenagers to take part in charity bingo and pull tabs. For the most part, a teenager would find it quite hard to get into a casino unless they had really good fake ID and look old enough, but not all places with slot machines are so tight on their regulations. Gambling has a long history of illegal betting and there are a lot of underground gambling places across America that do not much care about the age of their clients.
The biggest growth area for gambling is the Internet; poker is no longer a game played in dark smoky rooms behind closed doors. It has had a face lift, is bright and loud and colorful and has its own group of superstars; all the elements of marketing have combined to make this game seem very attractive to teenagers. The statistics report that 75% of teenagers claim to have gambled at some point in their lives, of which 10% are at serious risk of it being an addiction. Lottery tickets are sold to underage teens and despite gambling sites on the Internet requiring participants to be 18 years or older; all you have to do is enter the correct year of birth and, click you are in.
Signs that your teenager is gambling are; withdrawn behavior, locked in bedroom, or staying up late on the computer, missing school, mood swings, and money going missing from the house, or unexpected items being bought by a teenager who should not be able to afford them. Teenagers enjoy risk and are more likely to be optimistic about winning when they gamble, a lethal combination for addiction. Some parents find out the very worst way, when their credit card bill comes through, or their child is arrested for stealing, to fund the habit.
To minimize the risk of your teenager becoming a gambling addict; consider your own attitude to gambling, if you do it, they are likely to copy you. Have you talked to your teen about the dangers of gambling? Are you aware of where your teen gets their money from and do you check your own credit expenditure regularly? Have you considered installing software on their computer blocking unsuitable web sites, and do you know where your teen is most of the time? Gambling is an addiction and if discovered, needs treatment, either counseling, teen recovery centers, addiction treatment centers or 12 step programs at teen camps.