While most would see little harm in giving a lottery ticket as a gift to an adolescent, it can pave the way possible future gambling problems.
“A study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health released in 2010 found that 29,000 middle and high school students in Ontario reported behaviours linked with problem gambling.
Nearly half of the students in Grades 7 to 12 reported participating in at least one form of gambling, while almost three per cent showed signs of a gambling problem. The most commonly reported activities were betting on card games and buying lottery tickets.”
To learn more about the dangers of teen gambling www.cps.ca and www.ottawacitizen.com
