Gambling: Children and Teenagers

The legal age for casino gambling is 18, but some children start gambling very early – as early as 10 years old. 

For children and teenagers, the most common forms of gambling are card games, lottery tickets, and scratch cards. In later adolescence, some move on to more serious forms of gambling, such as horse racing and other sports betting.

Television and the Internet are introducing children to gambling – many commercials are shown, and there are thousands of sites on the Internet that children can go to.

Why gambling seems like entertainment to children and teenagers

Gambling is so common that children see it as a normal part of everyday life. And advertising makes it clear that it’s fun, exciting, that it’s one way to join with others and get rich easily. Especially since there are hundreds of no deposit cash casinos on the Internet that give free money just for signing up.

Games are often set up in such a way that it is very easy to win in “practice mode”. Teens may believe that this streak will continue afterward when they play for real money. Most problem players had what they thought was a significant “win” early in their gambling history.

Also, the system is built on randomness, but some games have the appearance of applications that involve a certain amount of experience. Such a situation can suggest that gambling is also related to skill.

Problem Prevention 

• Explain how gambling works

You can explain the odds of winning to your child in an accessible way. This can be done by comparing some indicators with others. For example, “Your chance of winning the lottery is 1 in 15 million, and the chance of being struck by lightning is 1 in 300,000.”

It should also be explained that gambling companies are set up to make more money than is paid out to players. If the companies were not making money, they would not be able to continue operating.

• Pay attention to warning signs

For teens who are struggling at home or school, gambling can be a fun but not very useful way to deal with boredom or escape from other problems.

If you keep an eye out for social, academic, or mental health problems, you may be able to prevent unhealthy activities like gambling.

At the same time, you can encourage more positive extracurricular activities. They may be the best way for your child to combat boredom or stress. 

• Think about your family’s attitudes and activities

Your family’s attitude toward gambling can affect your child. The less familiar your child is with poker machines, the lottery, scratch cards, or sports betting, the less likely they are to see gambling as fun. The likelihood of having a problem is also lower.

If you do choose to gamble, you can help your child avoid problems by making sure he or she knows how it works.

• Talk about using sources of information online

The best way to help your child make good decisions about gambling online is to talk about quality media choices. For example, you can discuss video games with gambling themes and why you would prefer that your child not play them.

In addition, if you encourage your child to use online resources in a balanced way, they will have many healthy ways to dispel boredom and relieve stress.

Identifying gambling problems in children and teens

It can be difficult to determine if there is a problem because teens do not always face financial difficulties.

Warning signs that your child may have a gambling problem include the following:

1. Sudden changes in the amount of money your child has: borrowing or taking from family and friends;

2. Changes in sleep patterns: tiredness, low energy levels, mood changes, or irritability;

3. Decreased school performance;

4. withdrawal from friends, social activities, and events;

5. Positive attitude toward gambling or fascination with Internet gambling sites, sports scores or televised poker, gambling simulators or apps;

6. Attention to sports odds instead of the sport itself;

7. Concealment about gambling or denial that a problem exists.

If a problem exists, the child may also try to tell you that gambling is better than other activities he or she could be doing, such as, “Mom, at least I’m not doing drugs.”