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Should we teach children the basics of gambling

By admin on 2011-12-08 13:24:29

Playing casino games at an online casino is of course gambling, but because it is extremely difficult for an online casino to identify the age of their online customers there is always the possibility that children and young people could access these sites, just as they can access other adult oriented web sites. Clearly the online casino industry has always been aware of the dangers of what is termed problem gambling, and provides financial backing to organisations such as Gamcare, which runs a helpline to support problem gamblers, but can the gaming industry alone discourage children from gambling. This week’s Irish casino news includes reports of an attempt by Gamcare to raise this issue with a UK Government education review body, by suggesting that children be taught the basics of gambling and the odds of winning. The theory is that by teaching the rudiments of gambling alongside other aspects of the Personal, Social and Health Education programme currently in existence in UK schools, the dangers of gambling addiction amongst children would be reduced. There are many people in Ireland who would also like to see this issue given full Government consideration, because although gambling addiction amongst children is not currently considered to be a major problem, it is estimated that as many as 2% of children could already be addicted to slot machine gambling in High Street arcades  The availability of many more slot machine games at our online casinos, some of which are based on popular films or television programmes, could present a danger that more children will get access to these casino games and perhaps not fully understand odds of winning. As adults we hopefully understand that playing casino games at an online casino, or even slot machines in our local pub or club, can and often does cost us money, but as with many other adult activities our children also need to be taught that gambling can become more than just fun. We will watch progress on this piece of casino news with interest.