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1 The Emergence of Gambling Among Youth: The Prevalence of Underage Lottery Use and the Impact of Gambling
- University of Nevada Press
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Chapter One The Emergence of Gambling Among Youth The Prevalence of Underage Lottery Use and the Impact of Gambling Howard J. Shaffer Introduction During the past decade, the proliferation of American gambling has been extraordinary . In addition to the recent availability of riverboat, Native American, and urban casinos, the lottery has become a staple of American gambling. In spite of warnings from both scholars (Eadington, 1992; Shaffer, Stein, Gambino, & Cummings, 1989) and social policymakers regarding the potential adverse consequences of the spread of gambling, the lure of state-sponsored gambling’s capacity to generate revenue without imposing a tax has shifted American morality not only to tolerate but to endorse legalized gambling. Between 1974 and 1995, the total amount of money legally wagered nationwide increased from $17.3 billion to $550 billion (Commission on the Review of the National Policy Toward Gambling, 1976; Christiansen, 1996). Between 1975 and 1985, the national per capita sales of lottery products alone increased from $20 to $97 per year (Clotfelter & Cook, 1989). By 1995, the national per capita expenditure on the lottery had surpassed $130 per year (North American Gaming Report, 1996; U.S. Census Bureau, 1996). As of 1995, thirty-eight states had established lotteries and 33 states had established or approved tribal, riverboat, or other types of casinos (International Game Technology, 1995). Only two states had not legalized some form of gambling (McQueen, 1995). Given the increasing access to gambling in general and state lotteries in particular , public health researchers, clinicians, and policymakers have the opportunity to study the impact of legalized gambling on the development of children and adoles- cents. Currently, there is a paucity of scientific research focusing on the effects on youth of the spread of gambling (National Research Council, 1999). The National Gambling Impact Study Commission (1999) has encouraged increased attention to the scientific study of gambling in general and youthful gamblers in particular. This chapter will provide basic information about the extent of gambling activities among adolescents, some of the social and psychological consequences experienced by children who gamble, and the process of initiation to gambling activities. B A C K G R O U N D : R E C O G N I Z I N G Y O U T H G A M B L I N G A S A P R O B L E M Youth have gambled at a variety of activities throughout history. During the twentieth century, pitching coins, playing cards, betting on sporting events, and other forms of gambling were common among young people. In most jurisdictions that have lotteries, the sale of lottery tickets to anyone under the age of 18 is prohibited by state law, yet more young people are gambling now than ever before. Perhaps young people are encouraged to gamble by the increased access to gaming provided by the development and popularity of state-sponsored lotteries. Maybe adolescents are encouraged to gamble by the explicit endorsements promulgated by government and church advertising and product promotions. Possibly young people gamble as a consequence of the absence of warnings from public health officials, who may feel political conflicts of interest because some of their revenues derive from lottery income . Regardless of the reasons, contemporary adolescents now represent a unique generation of Americans: These young people are the first constituency to experience gambling that has been both state sponsored and culturally approved throughout their entire lifetime. Gambling has become an average and expectable activity among adolescents (Zinberg, 1984). Young people now gamble just as they smoke and drink, in spite of the illicit status of these activities. However, teenage gambling has received relatively little attention from researchers and the media. As Jacobs (1989) noted, “Teenage gambling was not yet conceptualized as an issue fifteen years ago, even though teenage involvement with potentially addictive substances such as alcohol, prescription, and illicit drugs were matters of serious concern and have remained the subject of systematic nationwide evaluation since 1975. Potentially harmful effects of teenage gambling simply had not been a matter for professional, scientific, governmental , or lay scrutiny, as attested to by the virtually silent literature on this topic before 1980” (pp. 263–64). In a review of five studies of gambling by high school students, Jacobs reported that the levels of probable pathological gambling among high school students are more than 3 times higher than the prevalence rates for adults. Based on this research, Jacobs estimated that 7 million American children gamble regularly and...