The first-ever study of gambling habits of students aged 15-17 has been carried out in Ontario, Canada. It shows that over one-third already participate in gambling activity, although that ranges from buying lottery tickets and scratch cards to playing poker and online gambling. A cause for concern is that early compulsive habits are not easily detectable because students generally rely on parents for a roof over their head and food on the table.

Most of the students cited entertainment as the reason they gamble but just over 20% said they did it for the money and around 15% admitted they were ‘chasing lost cash’. In the 15-17 age range gambling problems are already experienced by 3.9% of those questioned, a figure that jumps to 6.9% in the 18-24 age group. Ontario Council, in an effort to educate students about gambling, is staging a play ‘House of Cards’ at local schools.

Lotteries are the biggest source of gambling revenue for the Ontario government, followed by slot machines at racetracks. Recently a complaint has been made to the federal Competition Bureau, claiming that electronic gaming devices are designed to entice players to risk too much of their money. A consumer advocate and gambling addiction councillor, one of the people behind the complaint, has said that the onus must be on the industry to prevent underage gambling.

In the UK the government must soon come up with advertising standards for the gambling industry. The possibility of requiring a warning on any advertising has been raised, similar to that appearing on tobacco products. Football clubs sponsored by gaming companies may have to produce logo-free kits for children. One thing the government has shown no sign of changing is the law that permits children to gamble on fruit machines at arcades. This is a gaping hole in its policy to protect children, and changing that law should be far more important than removing a logo on a child’s football kit. (E-01.25.07)

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