Youth Gambling - When Help Is Needed

Why Some Youth Are At Risk?

Youth may start gambling more often or problematically if they learn this behaviour from others (i.e. family/friends). If someone's friends or family gamble it is more likely that they will gamble too. The earlier someone starts to gamble the greater the risk that he/she will have a problem.

Today's generation is growing up in a gambling saturated culture where it is advertised and promoted everywhere. The idea or the illusion of gaining a skill and being better than his/her peers at something can be a risk factor. One of the largest risk factors is having a BIG WIN early on in his/her gambling experience.

If youth are active in other high risk behaviours like smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol or experimenting in drugs this also puts them at a heightened risk for a gambling problem.

Other factors include: having few leisure activities, feelings of isolation, anxiety, or depression, low self-esteem, limited connection to others, boredom or developmental factors (i.e. cognitive, impulse control, decision making, ADHD).

Why is it hard to ask for Help?

It is often hard in adolescence to ask for help for anything because at this stage youth are striving for independence. With gambling problems it seems that asking for assistance is even harder because gambling is seen as recreation, so many youth don't understand that it can be highly addictive.

Also, professionals and parents don't see gambling as HIGH RISK. Actually, suicide attempts and ideation are higher amongst problem gamblers than persons with any other addiction.

Gambling is often not seen as a youth issue because kids are not legally old enough to gamble. Therefore the recognition of a problem is often masked as other things like problems with school, money problems, lying, stealing. Gambling can be misconstrued as substance abuse problems. However, we do know that 85% of Ontario youth have gambled in the last year.

Gambling often fosters false hope for individuals that one day they will win big and they will have no more worries in life. So while they keep chasing this dream they are not in a position to ask for help.

There is a belief that seeking treatment means that you must completely abstain from gambling for the rest of your life. This philosophy of "forever" often doesn't sit well with youth. Our agency supports something called Harm Reduction (see section titled Harm Reduction), and empowers youth by giving them choices and alternative methods to abstaining from gambling.

Finally, there is a stigma attached to seeking help, especially counselling, and many youth wouldn't feel comfortable coming to our agency. That is why in our youth program we strive to provide on-site counselling in schools and at community agencies to limit barriers to services for youth.

How to Help Someone with a Gambling Problem

When you are concerned about someone's gambling try to speak to him/her from a place of concern and empathy. Try to avoid confronting the individual and making him/her feel defensive. If the person feels understood and senses that you truly are concerned he/she will be more apt to open up.

Talk to the person about things that you have directly observed, for example, amount of time spent gambling. Avoid hearsay. Labeling individuals as an "addict" or saying they have a "disease" isn't helpful. Language like this may make the individual defensive and not listen to any more of your concerns.

Don't lend money to someone with a gambling problem. By lending money you are only helping them out of the money problem but not the gambling problem. It is important for them to get some help for the gambling as well.

Finally, if you are concerned about someone else's gambling please remember to get some support for yourself as their gambling does affect you as well.

To learn more about youth gambling, give us a call at (519) 673-3242 ext. 234 or
click here to e-mail our gambling intake worker.