Underage Gambling Youth Court November 14 2009 Rhonda

Underage Gambling & Youth Court November 14, 2009 Rhonda Stone Community Education Coordinator

Mission: The Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling is dedicated to increasing public awareness of problem gambling, expanding the availability of services for problem gamblers and their families, and encouraging research and programs for prevention and education.

Key Purposes: n Treatment n Training n Awareness/Prevention/Education n Research n Advocacy

Teens & Gambling n Individuals who start gambling by age 12 are four times more likely to develop a gambling problem n On the 2008 Healthy Youth Survey, 3% of High School Seniors acknowledged PG symptoms n 8. 4% of Washington teens gamble frequently enough to be at risk for developing a gambling problem

What is TEEN GAMBLING? To teens, it is just a game or a way to have fun—many don’t even realize they are gambling

What is TEEN GAMBLING? To parents, views vary

Gambling is a personal choice. Legal for individuals age 18 or older (21 where alcohol is served), research in Washington State and the U. S. has shown that 96 -98% of adults gamble without developing a gambling problem

Consequences of Gambling: Problem n Unreliability and lying n Loss of relationships n Debt n n Money by any means: Pursuit of gambling at any cost (“chasing losses”) n Stress and depression borrowing, stealing, fraud n Loss of interest in schooln Stress-related death and/or job suicide n Loss of job n Life-altering addiction Visit www. evergreencpg. org for more information

New Studies Show Brain Effects Similar to Substance Abuse § Similar to Meth “Pathological Gamblers Demonstrate Frontal Lobe Impairment Consistent With That of Methamphetamine-Dependent Individuals, ” Kalechstein, Fong, Rosenthal, Davis, Vanyo, Newton (2007): Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Neurosciences § Similar to Cocaine “Functional imaging of neural responses to expectancy and experience of monetary gains and losses, ” Breiter, Aharon, Kahneman, Dale, Shizgal (2001): Neuron, 30(2) 619 -639

What can we do? n Provide info for teens and their parents n Help teens assess their own risk n Influence school and program policy n Use the new state penalties for teens gambling in casinos and card rooms

New State Penalties § $125 Fine § Court costs potentially doubling the fine § Up to 4 hours of community service Source: Washington State Gambling Commission Visit www. notazander. com for more information