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Problem Gambling Experts Say Sports Betting a Teen Crisis
ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY --
An expert on problem gambling among youth says sports betting is an epidemic among high school students. Wagering on sports is seen as a gateway introduction for teens to other forms of gambling.
Terry Elman, the education coordinator for the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, says betting on sports through pools and March Madness brackets leads to greater involvement, up to having bookie classmates.
“The average I find is a high school with a population of 1,000 has two [student-bookmakers],” Elman told NorthJersey.com. Elman says the sportsbook is often passed down from class to class as students work their way through the schools.
Elman says parents are often unaware of the gambling until children steal from them to pay betting debts.
“They end up using the credit card, or they take something from the house and sell it," the counselor advises.
Police say they have neither the time nor resources to investigate without complaints, and that the schools are handling the problem. But Elman, who does not involve legal authorities to avoid scaring off teens in need of help, says that compulsive gambling unattended can wreck lives before parents are aware of the danger.
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