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Does March Madness Breed Gambling?

by FamilyEducation Staff

I Think My Kid Is Gambling

Q: Dear Carleton,
It's college basketball tournament time and I'm becoming increasingly worried about the serious gambling that seems to be going on at my son's high school and at his part-time job. How can I tell if my son is involved in gambling? I'm not sure how to approach him. And if he is gambling, is this just a "kid thing" that I shouldn't be worried about?

A: You may be picking up on some intuitive feelings that you have about your son's possible gambling. More sports betting takes place during this prolonged tournament than during any other annual sporting event, including the Super Bowl.

I believe that it would be wise for you to raise the question of your son's possible gambling with him. Begin by casually mentioning the subject: "I know there's a lot of gambling going on during this March Madness tournament. Do you and your friends bet on these games?" Avoid turning the discussion into a sermon on the evils of gambling, replete with shame and blame. Listen more than you speak and ask your son open-ended, non-judgmental questions: "How much money and how often do your friends bet on sporting events?" State your own beliefs regarding gambling.

Unfortunately, problem gambling is all too often a "kid thing" -- a risky habit that can turn very quickly into a dangerous, life-long compulsion. As a therapist, pathological gambling is one of the most difficult compulsions that I treat. If your son really is involved in gambling, intervening now is the best course of action for his future.

The Numbers Game: Gambling Stats

According to a 1998 study by Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics:

  • Over three-quarters of all teens will have gambled by their senior year in high school.

  • Just over half of adolescents surveyed reported gambling within the last year.

  • Adolescents who gamble are much more likely to participate in other at-risk behaviors: illegal drug use (twice the average rate), fighting (also twice as likely), carrying a weapon, and experiencing problems in relationships.

  • Most adult compulsive gamblers say their addiction began in adolescence.

    • According to recent studies by the National Research Council:

  • Of the nation's 5.4 million pathological or problem gamblers, about half are under 21 years of age, with just over a million gamblers between the ages of 12 and 18.

  • 15 million Americans are at risk for gambling addiction.

  • A gambling problem that begins in adolescence can lead to crime, debt, divorce, bankruptcy, homelessness, child abuse, substance abuse, and suicide.

    • More on: Instilling Values

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