What Is School Age Gambling

School Age gambling simply refers to gambling by young people below 18 years. The legal age for gambling is 18 in most countries. School Age in many countries refers to people between the ages of 9-18 who are otherwise regarded as minors and thus below the legal age of responsible gambling.

Studies have shown that some children start gambling as young as ten years. Sometimes, this involves mostly harmless informal betting. However, some underage gamblers explore even wilder, engaging in more dangerous gambling behaviors despite measures put in place to stop such activities. This includes games such as bingo, card-playing for money, lotteries, sports betting, betting on specific events, poker, slot games, and video games.

Somewhat unfortunately, the advent of the internet being readily available now grants school-age teenagers access to tons of online gambling platforms and is constantly bombarded with gambling ads on TV and social media.

The Reasons for School Age Gambling

With a modest smartphone, anybody, including a teenager, can open an online casino, sports betting accumulator, lottery website, and the like. Even games that are supposedly okay for children sometimes have underlying references to gambling, and all of these are reasons why school-age gambling has become a concerning issue.

In addition, the prospect of making money through gambling is very appealing, especially for young people who know no better, don’t have a paying job, and are constantly the subject of peer pressure from their mates. Sometimes, even the thrill of gambling can be more compelling than the possibility of earning money. The excitement that comes from breaking the rules and doing something audacious can be a factor.

Furthermore, with the proliferation of gambling platforms, it is not surprising that many companies now offer juicy “bonuses,” freebies, and other incentives to attract customers. For instance, online casino platforms offer a list of UK casino bonuses for interested users.

While these are normally meant to target adults who can afford to take risks, are aware of their choices, and are capable of owning responsibility, such incentives can inadvertently serve to draw in teenage gamblers in what is undoubtedly a dangerous trend that must be curtailed.

What Are the Dangers of School Age Gambling?

School Age gambling is dangerous in many ways. According to a 2018 study, there is a precise connection between gambling and poor academic performance among school-age children. Some of the major dangers of school-age gambling are highlighted below:

1. Chronic depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues;
2. Lack of self-control and all the attendant behavior that come with a lack of self-control;
3. Suicidal tendencies, lack of self-esteem, and lack of self-confidence;
4. Complete lack of any sense of responsibility and other reckless behaviors;
5. Lifelong addiction from such a tender age;
6. Losses worth thousands of dollars in cash, jewelry, and other personal belongings;
7. Encourage other destructive, derivative habits like drinking, stealing, robbery, fraud, etc.

Solutions to Underage Gambling

Most times, underage gamblers do not know how to help themselves, while sometimes, they can. Nevertheless, in this section of the article, we have explained a few ways to solve underage gambling, helping our little ones get a better start in life.

Explain How Gambling Works

One of the most critical steps to curbing school-age gambling is to help minors understand that there isn’t really any skill in gambling. It is purely based on luck, and your chances of winning are considerably low.

Watch Out for Early Warning Signs

Parents must be responsible for their children. As mentioned earlier, most underage gamblers cannot help themselves – some do not even know they need help.

If your child is underage, ensure that you monitor their mental health, notice if their school work is derailing, look out for mood swings, etc. Weird bursts of anger, occasional theft, and pilfering are also signs that your teenager may be involved in gambling.

In addition, teenagers should be encouraged to engage in activities involving physical exertion. Try to pique their interest in outdoor and recreation activities. These will help keep their minds engaged and away from gambling at a tender age.

You should also become wary if you notice a sudden possession of significant amounts of money without any apparent source. Your child may be indulging in underage gambling. Truancy and other rebellious attitudes in school can also be signs of developing a gambling addiction. If you are internet savvy, try to restrict your minor’s access to the internet, cut back on their screen time, and scrutinize the TV shows and video games they watch and play. Parental control apps can help you restrict certain platforms.

Government Interventions

Finally, the government and gambling companies also have a duty to collaborate to ensure that young people are shielded from the dangers of irresponsible gambling. Governments must improve laws and make policies that make it even harder for underaged persons to gamble online. This would go a long way towards ensuring that only mature minds have access to gambling.

The government should protect children of parents with chronic gambling addiction from being exposed to such bad influences. The children should, if possible, be removed from such toxic atmospheres as youngsters are imitative and may inadvertently acquire negative attributes from their parent(s). In addition, a parent addicted to gambling has the tendency to be violent, detached, and unavailable to their child in many respects.

TV, social media, and other entertainment outlets must also stop the glamorous presentation of gambling as a ‘cool’ way of blowing some cash and impressing people. While gambling can genuinely be a fun pastime, children are not mature enough to grasp this reality.

Summary of The Possible Solutions To School-Age Gambling

No one can know the child better than the parents, and to avoid early age gambling, it is essential to be close to your child. If the kid is honest and open with you, the percentage of being involved in underage gambling is very small. Though here is a brief summary of what is important to solve school-age gambling.

Conclusion

As discussed in this article, there are several risks associated with underage gambling – even the United State laws forbid anyone below 18 years from gambling. School-age gambling is undoubtedly becoming rampant, especially as technology continues to advance. Nonetheless, the measures highlighted in this article would help a great deal in curbing the menace.