Gambling problem among wealthy teens NSW, 2007
A survey of 252 students was conducted by Waverly Action for Youth Services in four private schools in Sydney's eastern suburbs. It shows:
- 81% of the students have gambled at least once in the year, with almost 7% meeting the criteria for being problem gamblers. (This is double the rate of problem gamblers found in surveys of teenagers in other states, and is much higher than among adults).
- Most teenagers first gambled between the ages of five and 11, using pocket money, and later money from part-time jobs.
- The problem gamblers - all male - had a mean age of 15. They were categorised as having problems through a nine-point questionnaire. They were more likely than the others, for example, to lie about or hide their gambling, and to gamble to "escape from problems".
- They were much more inclined than the non-problem gamblers to report that their parents had first made them interested in gambling.
- Though the problem gamblers were no richer than the others, they spent between $10 and $19 each time they gambled compared with between $1 and $4 for others. Over the course of a year, the problem gamblers increased the amount they spent by 50% to maintain excitement.
- More of the problem gamblers described their first experience as "exciting" and were much less likely than others to believe "gamblers usually lose", and more inclined to rate themselves as "skilful" gamblers.
The youth service is introducing programs for schools to teach children the odds of winning, how to recognise problems and where to go for help.
Sources: Brisbane Times, May 7, 2007: Rich teens prone to problem gambling
[viewed 16/6/2007].
ABC Newsonline May 7, 2007: Survey reveals gambling problem among wealthy teens [viewed 16/5/2007].