Money for nothing

>> Today's gambling teens may become tomorrow's recovering addicts

by NAOMI BLOCH

Loto-Québec will proudly tell you they issued 48 cheques for $1-million or more to lottery winners last year, an enticing tidbit of information that doesn't surprise Dominic, a 20-year-old lottery fiend who did not want his full name published. "Yeah, I've got two 6-49s on me right now," he says. "But it's not a real jackpot week."

The Mis-O-Jeu sports lotteries are more entertaining, he says, because they're not just about luck. And just how entertaining is the Video Lottery Terminal he's sitting in front of? "I should really stop playing these," he laughs. Dominic says he's only been playing VLTs for the past year, but on more than one occasion he's lost $50 or more before he even realizes it.

Dominic, who lives in a building his parents own where he works as the superintendant, doesn't feel his gambling is a problem. "I don't really lose a lot of money," he says. In fact, while gambling has be-come a regular form of entertainment for at least 35 per cent of teens, experts are sounding the alarm bells, suggesting that we're getting a little too comfortable with this form of entertainment.

Risky behaviour

"We, as a society, have a general positive attitude toward gambling," says Dr. Jeff Derevensky, a child psychologist at McGill's Youth Gambling Research and Treatment Clinic. "We think it's socially acceptable, we think it's a fun type of activity." The problem, says Derevensky, is that the incidence of problem gambling in teenagers is significantly higher than that of the current adult population. While studies have shown that 2.4 per cent of adults are problem gamblers, 4-8 per cent of teenagers presently have a serious gambling problem, and another 10-14 per cent of teenagers are at risk for developing a serious gambling problem.

"Basically, they have a preoccupation with gambling," explains Derevensky. "They chase their losses--when they gamble they want to go back and try to recapture the money lost, which only further leads to losses. They lie to friends, they steal, they have delinquent behaviour, they embezzle money, do whatever it takes in order to keep gambling."

Since today's teens are the first to be so overexposed to a government-sanctioned gambling culture, experts fear that today's teenage problem gamblers will become tomorrow's adult pathological gamblers. As with alcohol or drugs, while most people can gamble purely recreationally, for some people it's a means of escape that can get out of control. "Gambling is what we often refer to as the hidden addiction," says Derevensky. "You can't detect it on their breath or see it in their eyes. So it takes a long time for parents to become aware that their kids have a gambling problem.

"The typical stereotype is that kids don't have gambling problems, adults have gambling problems. You know--the middle-age male who used to be a horse-race player but is now a casino player, and he's left his family and he's lost his job and he's embezzled money. Well kids don't have a wife to leave, they live with their parents."

Minor problem

The fact that teenagers aren't often faced with these complications makes it harder to find the problem in time and deal with it. Monique Cantin, coordinator of the Information and Referral Centre of Greater Montreal's gambling hotline says that though the hotline received over 6,670 calls last year, teenagers made up only a small number of these. "On both our drug and gambling hotlines what we see is that teenagers are a difficult population to reach," says Cantin. "We think that with gambling, they're still not having many losses. And it's usually when the person has many losses in their life that they change their behaviour, that they go seek help."

The teenagers who've sought Derevensky's help represent the extreme. "I've had kids lose $10,000 in one night. I had a kid playing blackjack three hands simultaneously, five bucks a hand, who's underage by the way--a 17 year old. He thought it was a great way to make money. Why work? Why get a job?"

The government, which has received dividends of $11.4-billion from lottery sales alone over the past 30 years, has attempted to prevent teenage gambling by imposing age requirements. Merchants can be fined anywhere from $300-2,000 for selling a lottery ticket to a minor. VLTs can only be operated by establishments holding a bar, brasserie or tavern permit, and require a site operator's licence fom the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux.

Meanwhile, Loto-Québec, whose sales have totalled $24.6-billion in the last 30 years, is funding gambling addiction research at both McGill and Université Laval and provides funding for the gambling hotline. In the end, says Derevensky, it'll be up to the public to address the situation. "I think parents need to be aware that this is a potentially risky behaviour. Many parents have no qualms about taking a buck from their kid and saying, 'I'm going to the casino, I'll bet it for you.' Or going partners with their kid on a scratch-lottery ticket. Yet not many would be sitting down with their nine year old and saying, 'C'mon, let's have a beer.' "

The bilingual gambling hotline operates 24 hours, seven days a week. Call 527-0140 or 1-800-461-0140