Saturday, February 17, 2007

Gambling is on the rise among young people between the ages of 18 and 24,
according to a survey commissioned by the Responsible Gambling Council.
The survey, which examined the gambling behaviours and attitudes of 3,604
young adults in Ontario, said poker games and online gambling have grown in
popularity since 2001. Anik Bay, a project co-ordinator with the Responsible
Gambling Council, was at Cambrian College this week to talk to students
about the risks of gambling. "Teens had a higher risk (compared to other age
groups) in our previous study, but what we've found is that the incidents of
Internet gambling, especially poker, has risen in that age group." The
survey goes on to show that 6.9 percent of young people have a severe
gambling problem, more than double the provincial average. A large number of
young people said they gambled for entertainment but more than 20 percent
said they wanted to win money. About 15 percent said they wanted to win back
money they'd lost. A problem gambler is someone who thinks about the game
all the time, skips school or work to gamble or spends more money than they
intended, Bay said. With the help of a couple of student volunteers, Bay
manned a display in the college's main lobby asking students to fill out a
quiz on gambling. The quiz helps students learn about common myths, ways to
limit gambling, how to recognize the signs of a problem gambler and where to
find help in Greater Sudbury. "If they choose to gamble, we want them to
know what risks they can be exposed to and what are ways to limit those
risks," she said. Kevin Leroux, 24, agrees Internet poker is becoming
increasingly popular among young people. He thinks it is because they're
being exposed to it now more than in years' past.

"There's more advertisement for it. Everywhere you look," he said.

Chris Chamberland, 24, said he regularly gambles with his money "because I
can."

Chamberland said he can afford his gambling and he knows where his limit is.

"It's like drinking, if you're going to drink you better know your limit,"
he said.

Neither Chamberland nor Leroux had seen the Responsible Gambling Council
display.

"There's gambling every day and it's got nothing to do with money,"
Chamberland said. "You're gambling every day when you cross the street, when
you drive on the highway. Now there's a little bit of money and they're
calling it evil."

Bay said students are "extremely receptive" to her organization's message.

"We find that a lot of students have been touched either personally or
they've
known people who have been touched with gambling problems," she said.