Underage gambling out of control

09:30 AM PST on Friday, November 5, 2004

By ERIC WILKINSON / KING 5 News

An addictive craze is taking hold of teenagers across the country and around Puget Sound.

From backyards to school buses, underground casinos run by young card sharks have countless kids gambling with their futures.

Once the stuff of smoky backrooms and tribal casinos, gambling is moving into the basements and backyards of suburbia.

Seventeen-year-old Dan Myers started gambling last year because all his friends were doing it.

Within a few weeks he was playing for jackpots of more than $1,000.

"It's kind of weird to think that video games are almost the more wholesome thing to do now," he said.

Myers is an underage veteran of local casinos, using a self-made fake ID to sneak in at least 20 times.

He found himself spending eight hours a day in a casino, losing more than $500.

Myers decided to quit, fearing his after-school hobby was becoming an addiction

"I'd say it's equally as bad as alcohol as any other drug," he said.

Gambling is also creeping into schools.

Two recent high school graduates made a video documentary earlier this year, exposing the gambling problem they saw emerging.

The pair captured video of kids playing dice on a school bus and craps in the school library.

KING

A documentary made by two high school students captured video of kids playing dice on a school bus and craps in the school library.

"Some parents know about the craze that's going on but I don't think they have a clue how big it's gotten yet though," said one of the filmmakers, Evan Turner.

The aspiring filmmakers taped their friends gambling in neighborhood tournaments, even in local casinos that legally lower their admittance to 18 during slow summer months and advertise to teenagers.

"We saw more and more kids really starting to get into it. Going every day after school, using paychecks, losing money," said another of the student filmmakers, Nick Joy.

The sudden popularity of gambling among teenagers coincides with the proliferation of poker on prime time TV.

ESPN airs poker games like they are sporting events, creating high rolling heroes with their fans getting younger and younger.

The documentary shows kids as young as 12 playing for pocket money in their parents' basements.

Parents who allow the games at their homes believe it's harmless fun that keeps kids out of trouble:

"It's a game. I don't have a problem with them being exposed to it. I did it when I was a kid," said parent Chuck Turner. "I suppose you could be playing monopoly or scrabble or anything else."

Others aren't so sure.

Jennifer McCausland launched Second Chance Washington, a campaign to combat underage gambling.

"As parents, we know to protect out children from the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse," McCausland said. But when her son started playing poker, it was a different story.

He started at the age of 15 and didn't stop until 14 years later, after losing everything.

Studies show the younger kids start gambling, the more likely they are to develop a serious problem.

A recent survey found 70 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds had gambled at some point in their lifetimes, and numerous national studies link teen gambling to drug and alcohol use.

"Poker at home for a Friday night's entertainment is a gateway to other gambling activities which can be very harmful," McCausland said.

The question now is, is this a fad that will fold or will the stakes continue to be raised.