Gamcare Suggests Kids Learn About Gambling

Gamcare, a support center for problem gambling, recently said that school children should learn about gambling in order to prevent problem gambling later in life.  Their argument held similar reasoning to the argument behind teaching school children about other potentially dangerous activities in school, like smoking and drinking. 

The organization further stated in a letter that the highest rate of problem gambling actually exists in adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15.  Due to the high rate of advertising, celebrity involvement, easy access to casino games online, and an undeveloped understanding of the downsides, young people are more prone to problem gambling. 

The National Center for Irresponsible Gambling (NCIS) commented that children who have no exposure to gambling style games at a young age carry a 75% greater risk of becoming problem gamblers when introduced to casino games in their teenage years.  Early exposure allows the youths to develop coping mechanisms for properly dealing with the temptations later on in life.  They suggest that parents should create a casino like environment for their kids to learn.  Stephen Twigg, the Shadow Secretary of Education in the UK, said that these areas of education can not and should not be abandoned to chance; therefore, children need to be equipped with good advice from a young age.

Gamcare representatives also said that they believed in such classes children should discuss both the positive and negative aspects of gambling and try to examine why people do it.  They added that the classes could also touch upon many tangential issues such as healthy life-style decisions, risk management, money management, informed consumption, and other important life skills.