Youth new face of gambling addiction, data shows

By Tamsyn Burgmann, The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER - Problem gambling has decreased in British Columbia, but younger people are athigher risk of becoming addicted to gaming, according to a new study commission by the province.

The study found an estimated 34,000 fewer people experienced issues with gambling in 2014compared to seven years earlier. But it said youth were the most likely to have problems relative toother age groups.

The 2014 Problem Gambling Prevalence Study wasreleased on Tuesday at a responsible gamblingconference hosted by the B.C. Lottery Corp. and theprovince. It said there were an estimated 125,000problem gamblers in the province, or about 3.3 per centof the population -- down from 4.6 per cent in 2008.

The research conducted by Malatest Associates Ltd. determined that 18- to 24-year-old youth werethe least likely to gamble in B.C., but the most likely to become problem gamblers.

B.C. Finance Minister Mike de Jong told the conference on Tuesday that the provincial governmenthas opened its eyes to the "significantly higher risk" for youth to become addicted.

He said the government has developed a plan of 21 commitments to continue addressing the healthrisks associated with gambling, and part of the focus will be on youth.

"This plan calls for improvement to current prevention materials, and an increased awareness of

problem gambling among teachers, parents administrators and the public."

Of those surveyed, 62 per cent of the youth said they gamble in some way, the lowest participationrate of any age category. However, 25.7 per cent of those identified themselves as either at risk orproblem gamblers.

Other high-risk groups identified by the study were Aboriginal Peoples, individuals of South Asianethnic origins and those with low household incomes.

Specialists in problem gambling delivered more than 3,700 presentations across the province in2013-14, but that strategy must be improved upon, de Jong said. Children in Grades 6 to 12 wereamong recipients of the classroom presentation.

"Research tells us that it takes more than a single presentation to change behaviour and attitudes,so we're moving to integrate our education materials more fully into everyday instruction in a varietyof subject areas."

De Jong attributed part of the general decline to the province's more than $10 million in gambling-problems programming, but also noted it's consistent with a wider trend being reported acrossNorth America.

Other measures include:

-- Adding customized responsible-gambling messages to B.C.'s online casino website.

-- Enhancing time and money tracking tools already on the site, and offering them in casinos.

-- Increasing interactions between gamblers and advisers who are trained to answer questions aboutgaming and dispel myths. They will also go into community gaming centres.

-- Conducting new research into problem gaming among online players, as well as into ways toreduce the high-risk features on electronic gaming machines.

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