A rising number of high school students are engaging in gambling, especially as online casinos get more popular.
A combination of studies and anecdotal evidence highlights a growing interest in online gambling among high school students. Student Isaac Carrillo, writing for the New York Post Scholars Contest, touches upon the “unique and quickly spreading social phenomenon” spreading across American high schools
“My high school alone hosts a variety of leagues, each with dozens of tables, and twice the amount of kids in the average classroom—all with varying game rules, cliques and levels of expertise,” wrote Carrillo. “The latest fad: online poker.”
That’s in line with wider industry trends, with reports both at home in the US and abroad that more and more people are getting into online gambling. It’s tricky to know what kids are doing online, thanks to the prevalent use of smartphones, and online casinos and poker sites are easier than ever to access.
The risk of gambling in high school
Indeed, a study from the University of Pennsylvania revealed that 2.9 million kids (those aged between 14 and 22 years old) play cards for money, with 580,000 of that number taking place online. While the activities are starting young, there’s the worry that such behavior could follow them into adulthood.
The Office of Problem Gambling Services (OPGS) states that children introduced to so-called ‘harmless betting’ by the age of 12 are four times more likely to engage in problem gambling later. While many may overlook high school students playing cards and gambling with one another as simple teenage antics, gambling as a youth not only increases the chance of continuing into adulthood, but also increases the severity of addiction.
“Gambling permeates teen life more than you would think,” concluded Carrillo. “Things can quickly get out of control for high school gamblers, with debts greatly exceeding petty cash between friends.”
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