can develop a gambling addiction. Usually a friend or family member
takes them to the gambling establishment. I first found it
difficult to understand how a person who is sixty five retired
and on a fixed income gets addicted to gambling. The seniors I
spoke with were very upset and didn’t understand how this
happened to them. The unfortunate part is they lost their
pensions and now only have their Social Security to live on. In
one case the Grandmother has to move in with her daughter.
There is very little difference between supervised gambling and
allowing supervised drinking alcoholic beverages or serving the
students there choice of dugs on a silver platter. If a
Principal served a student an alcoholic drink he would be
arrested. I am trying to understand how school educators and
parents can distinguish between alcohol and gambling on school
property. How is one more acceptable then the other?
Studies have shown that there is a correlation between alcohol
addiction and gambling addiction. The correlation was based on
individuals who attend both Gamblers Anonymous and Alcoholics
Anonymous meetings.
It would be a shame to find out ten years from now that students who
took part in supervised gambling at the High School level their
future was compromised by a life of self destruction and low
self esteem.
It’s a proven statistics that students who gamble get a similar rush
as if they just had an alcoholic beverage. The only difference
here they will not wake up with a hang over and the side effects
are minimal until it’s too late.
We have now given our students another option in life. The major
concern is the student’s will probably like the rush from
gambling a lot more then alcohol and or drugs since there is no
hang over or smell. Some students are likely to continue
gambling. Students with A grades are not exempt from this.
Statistics show that compulsive teenage gamblers are also very
bright and articulate individuals.
People need to be educated on teenage gambling and its long term
affects. It’s illegal to gamble if you are under 18. It’s also
illegal to drink if you are under 18 (some places 21) and it’s
illegal to smoke cigarettes if you are under 18. These laws
were set for a reason. Another email I received wanted to know
do these school systems have any respect for the law?
I emailed each of the people and asked why haven’t they raised their
concerns to the school board? They all responded the same. “We
are the minority and now we look bad in front of our kids.” This
is truly a no win situation.
The parents who are against this sort of entertainment believe; if
just one student develops a compulsive gambling addiction that
is one too many.
