WASHINGTON – A significant number of high school students are engaging in gambling across the country. According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, 60 to 80 percent of high schoolers admitted to gambling for money in the 2020-2021 school year.
As for Washington, the Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling says that, across the state, one in 12 teens gamble regularly. Additionally, one in 17 Washington teens face serious gambling-related issues. This can include losing money they cannot afford to, selling items to fund bets or committing crimes to pay off their debts.
Despite strict regulations on betting sites in Washington, gambling addiction experts say that online sports betting sites give today’s teens unprecedented access to gambling.
Riley Leno is a Certified Gambling Counselor at New Horizon Care Centers in Spokane. Leno says he has seen firsthand the impact that gambling addiction can have.
“It can cause people to spend hours and hours, ignore their food intake, ignore using the restroom, because they’re so captivated by gambling,” said Leno.
Leno explained that teen problem gamblers face unique challenges.
“That type of stimulus, when you’re getting the ups and downs, when you’re going through developmental a period – you don’t know what to do with that,” said Leno. “So you’re taking it all in, adopting those mentalities, and are unable to process it, unable to see the aspects of it because it just feels good,” said Leno.
Gambling’s widespread availability in the digital world is only increasing opportunities for problem betting.
“You see gambling everywhere,” Leno said. “It used to be just billboards and TV and radio when it came to casinos and card rooms. Now however we have it online very explicitly.”
Some influential gaming streamers and celebrities popular among kidsare sponsored by offshore gaming sites like Stake, which is based in Curacao. Sites like these often do not abide by Washington’s strict online gambling laws.
Stake sponsors figures such as Adin Ross and rapper Drake to gamble on their streams, regardless of who is in the audience.
Leno explained that, unlike other addictions, it is possible to feel the ‘high’ just by watching others gamble – even without participating. Because of this, these gambling streams can have a real impact on their viewers.
“We still get the same dopamine kick from watching the machine as we would if we won. It’s the same amount of the chemical going on through the brain,” said Leno. “Children as young as 8, 9, 10 are on these websites watching people spend all of this money to gamble and feeling the highs and lows, which result in them thinking they can do the same.”
Additionally, many online gambling sites turn cash into proxy currencies for placing bets. This not only gets around gambling laws: it also encourages problem betting for some.
“The interesting thing about the money that’s spent on gambling is often times these things are turned into coins or credits in some way, which actually removes the idea that it’s money,” said Leno. “That’s how we’re seeing a lot of the escalated spending.”
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, alongside 49 other attorneys general, penned a letter to the Department of Justice calling for a crackdown on offshore gambling sites. Nonstop Local asked Brown about his motivation in that decision.
“We’re seeing a ton of rampant offshore gambling through gambling apps and the like that I think are dangerous for a number of reasons,” said Brown. “We’re seeing a lot of potential abuse from offshore gambling, a lot of predatory practices from some of those gambling operations as well.” Brown went on to explain that, in addition to these predatory practices, these sites may also use personal data for fraudulent purposes.
With all of these risks surrounding online gambling, Leno says honest conversation is the first step in protecting teens from the hazards of problem betting and gambling addiction.
“They may not know how to ask for help because they fear getting in trouble, so open dialogue about these things is really necessary.”
Leno shared that signs of problem gambling in your teen can include withdrawal from loved ones, falling grades, irritability when access to video games or the internet is restricted or attempts to hide the amount of time spent gambling.
“Gambling is one of the most lethal addictions. Depression, anxiety, things along those lines are also very common,” Leno emphasized. “What it’s going to take is a community. Addiction thrives in isolation, every time.”
For those struggling with gambling addiction, help is available through the National Problem Gambling Hotline at 1-800-GAMBLER.
