Signs your teen could have a gambling problem

Signs your teen could have a gambling problem
Posted: Mon 4:32 PM, Jun 17, 2013


GREEN BAY, Wis. (FROM WI COUNCIL ON PROBLEM GAMBLING) – With the end of another school year, kids across Wisconsin are making plans for their free time during the summer months. For many teens, that’s also time with little supervision which can lead to risky behavior like drinking or drug use.

While most parents are on the lookout for signs of drugs or alcohol, another potential risky behavior is often overlooked. Gambling can be a problem for teens and even pre-teens. It’s estimated that 5 percent to 7 percent of the general population in Wisconsin could face a gambling problem and the rate for teens is thought to be double that.

“We know that the seeds of problem gambling are often sown during the teen or pre-teen years,” said Rose Gruber, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling. “Still it’s a hidden addiction and parents often don’t pay much attention to a growing gambling problem with a child.”

Gruber urges parents and other adults to keep an eye on the gambling habits of the young people around them. The signs of a gambling problem include:

• Borrowing money from family and friends without repaying the debt
• Stealing money to gamble
• Lying about what they’re doing with their time
• Large amounts of unexplained cash
• A great deal of debt that can’t be explained
• Strangers calling on the phone
• “900” number calls to gambling numbers
• Withdraws from his or her regular group of friends
• Breaks curfew regularly
• Obsession with sports scores

“One of the best things parents can do is to be involved with their child,” Gruber added. “Let your teen know that it’s OK for him or her to have friendly poker games at your home, and then step in if the pot becomes too big or if you notice the players writing each other IOUs,” Gruber said. “Explain that occasional social gambling can be fun, but that gambling can also become an addiction.”

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLE-5 for confidential help.


http://www.weau.com/news/headlines/Signs-your-teen-could-have-a-gambling-problem-211881721.html