WAYS To Educate Young People On Gambling

To date, research and anecdotal evidence both indicate a need in the community for education on problem gambling among young people. This is neither new research nor a new problem but if it remains un-tackled the impact on the current generation could be disastrous.

WAYS (Waverley Action for Youth Services) is one of the few youth services in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney working specifically with gamblers aged 11-25 years old, offering counselling and support for both the young person and their family.

Many of the young gamblers referred to WAYS have little knowledge about the risks of gambling or the odds of winning. As yet there is no formal system in New South Wales which ensures young people are educated on this topic. Surveys conducted by WAYS across secondary schools in the Eastern Suburbs indicated significant interest in workshops on problem gambling being conducted at their schools. Almost a quarter of young people surveyed said they would like to have more information on gambling.

In response to this WAYS developed a workshop to take into schools to educate young people about the risks associated with gambling. The program is based around a harm minimisation framework and seated firmly within adolescent developmental theory.

Research has shown that young people first gamble between the age of twelve and fifteen years, (Maccallum,Blaszczynski, Barker, Rotbard & Grinbergs, 2003), thus it was decided that this would be the target age group. In Australia, 90% of people have gambled before they reach their twentieth birthday.

In line with the growth of new media, young people today are exposed to an expanding range of gambling opportunities from the Internet to interactive television. Added to this is the constant barrage of media messages they face, promoting the fun, excitement and money that can be won by gambling. Ultimately young people live in a society where gambling is considered to be normal behaviour in everyday life.

Research suggests that this increased access to technology and different forms of gambling has increased the prevalence of problem gambling, (Korn, 2001). Given that the incidence of adolescent gambling in many countries is two to three times higher than in the general population, we must assume the impact of this is hard hitting on our younger generations.

Current legislation in Australia restricts gambling to adults aged 18 years and over. Poker machines have been found to be the most popular form of gambling, (Maccallum, Blaszczynski, Barker, Rotbard & Grinbergs, 2003), and with Australia being home to 200,000 of them, accessibility is not a problem. The difficulty of monitoring underage gamblers has only increased with the growth of the Internet, leaving the current regulatory environment deficient.

Social norms fail to compensate up for what is lacking in legislation. A study by Moore and Ohtsuka, (1997), found that not only did young people have positive attitudes toward gambling but they also perceived that their families and friends were accepting of the activity. More recent research has borne this out, showing that parents play an important role in children’s risk for potential problem behaviours like underage gambling, (Vachon, Vitaro, Wanner, & Tremblay, 2005; Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Rohde, & Seeley, 2004).

Parents are well educated on the risks their children face from drug and alcohol abuse but when it comes to problem gambling, parents may promote rather than protect their children from such risks.

Studies show that young people learn about gambling from their parents and gamble with parents at home. One risk for problem adolescent gambling is having a parent with a gambling problem, (Clarke et al, 2000). Furthermore some parents even ‘treat’ their children by purchasing scratch and lottery cards as gifts, introducing their children to gambling as a positive experience. A comprehensive piece of research by Delfabbro, Lahn and Grabosky, (2005), showed that young people primarily turned to their friends for advice or support related to gambling problems. The study recommended the implementation of school programs to educate young people about their erroneous beliefs to do with gambling and how to respond to a gambling problem. The study also suggested parents be targeted as part of any educational programs to address adolescent gambling.

For many, gambling is often an attempt at a solution to their problems. Part of counselling young gamblers is helping them develop skills, strategies and insights that supersede gambling and hopefully make gambling redundant.

Young people who call WAYS are often in crisis and are greatly distressed. One of the reasons youth gambling may not get the attention it deserves is because in young people gambling is not always so apparent. However, it can severely impact on a young person’s self esteem and view of themselves as developing individuals, as well as their relationship with their family.

It was felt vital that awareness was raised on the topic of problem gambling among youth because:

•Problem gambling is much harder to detect than other addictions;

•Young people are especially prone to excessive gambling;

•Problem gambling can lead to poor school performance, debt, crime and suicide;

•There are increasingly more gambling opportunities available;

•Evidence shows that gambling does take place in schools;

•Teachers need to be aware of the risks and signs of excessive gambling.

WAYS felt that young people needed to be empowered to make responsible decisions regarding their current and future gambling participation, and professionals needed to develop the awareness and confidence to support young people who have a gambling problem.

Developmentally, adolescence is a time when risk-taking behaviours abound and the perceived positive consequences of these include peer approval, pleasure, enjoyment, relaxation, and getting needs met. With risk taking behaviours come increased risk of becoming a problem gambler.

The workshop aims to encourage young people’s socially critical thinking skills, analysing and empowerment to make educated choices. By the end of the workshop students should have the following information:

•What gambling is and isn’t and the different types of gambling;

•The risks associated with gambling;

•The myths of gambling and the reality of randomness;

•Facts about the odds of winning;

•The cycle of problem gambling and how to recognise problematic signs;

•Where to get help. Resources for advice and support.

Evaluation of the workshop highlighted many erroneous cognitions held by students around gambling. Students showed they did not have an accurate understanding of the true odds of gambling activities and were likely to overestimate the probability of winning. They also showed that they felt skill was relevant a factor in gambling on machine such as the pokies.

Feedback from students also revealed that some of them already had friends with gambling problems but that they were unsure as to how they could help.

Evaluation also showed young people found the workshop useful and informative and that they went away with new information. If, as research suggests, young people turn to their peers for information on gambling help, then this information may be useful to more than just those who attended.

Given the acceptance of gambling in our society and the risks young people are exposed to in relation to gambling, surely it is only fair that we equip them with the information they need to make informed and educated choices.

Katie Splevins

Gambling Counsellor

WAYS, Bondi

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