Why Should We Educate Youth About Problem Gambling?
Educating youth about gambling can help them to avoid a lifetime as a Problem or Pathological Gambler. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), as many as 15% of young people asked have significant gambling problems, and 6% of teens who have gambled have become pathological gamblers.2
One study of more than 1,800 teenagers indicates that more than 2 out of 3 high school students have gambled, and nearly 25% of students gamble frequently. And those who gambled were between 2 and 8 times as likely to take illegal drugs (the actual rates varied by the type of drug) and 3 times as likely to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, binge drink, or drive drunk.3
The same study also showed that teenagers who gamble are far more likely to be “bullied,” threatened with weapons, see weapons at school or be involved in other forms of violence, and they are more likely to be the victims of theft.