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  Youth Gambling
     Nearly 4% of Florida adolescents, ages 13 to 17, suffer from serious to severe difficulties due to gambling and an additional 8% are at risk of developing such problems unless some type of intervention measures are initiated. According to a 2002 Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling study among youth ages 13-17, conducted by the University of Florida, almost 70% of Florida adolescents have participated in some form of gambling in their lifetime. Despite the legal gambling age in the state of 18, more than 40% reported gambling in the past year period, 10% of whom admitted to betting on a weekly basis. Another FCCG study within Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) facilities, documenting the pervasiveness of gambling and problem gambling among Florida’s juvenile offending population ages 11-20, resulted in an ongoing program within DJJ that trains clinical staff, provides education and treatment to identified inmates, and furnishes resources and services to youth released from the system and upon return to their community. For FCCG research and additional information, click here.

      Moreover, a 2004 statewide survey of 60,354 middle and high school students, conducted by the Florida Department of Children and Families, revealed that the prevalence of gambling among Florida youth was confirmed with startling clarity – 56.3% of students in grades 6-12 acknowledged having gambled in the last 12 months and 15.7% reported arguing about gambling during that same period. This was the first time students were questioned about gambling in the State’s Youth Substance Abuse Survey.

      In an effort to address this issue, and minimize the impact on the growing number of adolescents negatively affected by gambling,the FCCG has developed the Problem Gambling Prevention Program for Middle and High School Students to assist secondary schools and students in this process. The Prevention Program has been approved for full-scale implementation in schools statewide by the Florida Department of Education, was funded by the Florida Lottery and endorsed by the Departments of Justice, Health, Drug Control, and Children and Families. For more information on the FCCG’s Problem Gambling Prevention Program for Middle and High School Youth, click here.

      As an addendum to the FCCG Prevention Program and as a means of providing middle and high school students with ongoing information and instruction about gambling risks and consequences, the FCCG has created this website specifically for school educators, counselors and other professionals providing instruction and other supports to this population. The FCCG recognizes that adolescents spend more awake hours in school than elsewhere, including home, and as such the agency appreciates the essential role and impact that educators and counselors can have in the lives of students adversely affected by their own or someone else’s gambling behavior.

      The content and lesson plans designed herein are the direct result of suggestions, feedback and direction provided by teachers, SAFE Coordinators, counselors and others within the Florida school system. These youth experts aided in the generation of learning exercises featured on this website during awareness and curriculum training sessions conducted by the FCCG in districts across the state. (Click School Training link above for additional information on the availability of free professional training.)

      This website is reviewed and updated on a quarterly basis to ensure it reflects current information, as well as additional lesson plans devised from recent training sessions. For example, you will note that one of the initial lesson plans highlight the impact of poker play among teenagers. This is a direct result of observations made by the FCCG and others regarding the recent publicity surrounding televised Texas Hold’Em tournaments and related card play and instruction, which has swept the nation’s young and older counterparts off their feet. It is not unusual to find toy and other product manufacturers capitalizing on new poker products geared toward persons of all ages, including minors. It is also not rare to find parents or caregivers and students hosting birthday celebrations or other events by featuring a poker theme for their parties and engaging in actual card playing and/or instruction. The same is true for some school and community based organizations, which sponsor poker contests and/or “how to play poker” classes.

      Although poker and other forms of gambling are not necessarily problematic for the vast majority of adults 18 years of age and older who may partake, it is important to keep in mind that betting is unlawful for any Florida resident below the legal gambling age of 18. The FCCG is also well aware that underage students bet on all types of games and events, from dares to sports, to lottery play, casino and other gambling venues. In fact, minors do gain access to gambling facilities via the assistance of a person of legal age, the use of fake identification, failure to be proofed or some other method.

      Today, school educators, counselors and others have an opportunity and responsibility to look for the presence of problem gambling behaviors in students with whom they work. You are in a position to detect or reach adolescents in the early stages of difficulty and to refer students to resources that can help. This website has been created to assist you in providing essential information to young people about problem gambling, its symptoms, impacts and avenues for help.