Summer 1997
It was early in February of 1996 when my 17 year-old son said, "Well, you won't be having to have a birthday party for me this year." I responded, "Why is that?" He answered, "I'll be going to the casino on my birthday." It was clear that my son was among a growing number of young people in Minnesota for whom going to a casino on one's 18th birthday is a new rite of passage.
I had several reactions to hearing my son's proclamation. My first thought was, if I ignore it, he will forget about it. Then I thought I could tell him that he wouldn't have a good time, or how dumb it is to gamble his money away. I even thought that I could just forbid him to go. But none of these responses seemed realistic or helpful.
Even though large numbers of people in the United States regularly gamble, this type of situation is new for most parents. Most people have not done much thinking about gambling or taken the time to examine their beliefs about whether, when or how much to gamble. In years past, gambling was not as popular, visible or available as it is now. New forms of gambling such as state lotteries and casinos have arrived so rapidly that some people simply haven't had time to consider their choices. The result has been silence around the issue of gambling and silence is not helpful, especially in an environment that promotes gambling through TV, radio, and billboard advertising.
So I chose to have a serious discussion with my son. I told him of my concern over his winning as well as his losing. I told him that many compulsive gamblers experienced an early big win. We talked about the characteristics of low-risk gambling (discussed on page 2 of this newsletter). We talked about the odds of winning and about gambling as recreation rather than a solution to financial concerns. Most of all, we began the process of helping him develop a personal set of guidelines to decide whether, when and how much to gamble.
Although he didn't go to the casino on his birthday, he did go shortly thereafter. And while I can't guarantee that he'll never experience a problem, he is at least aware of the risks associated with gambling, has discussed guidelines for low-risk gambling, and knows that help is available for people with problems.
I don't think I'm alone in my concern for preventing gambling problems among young people. This edition of Beyond the Odds will examine some tools that can help concerned persons prevent gambling related problems.
—Roger Svendsen
In This Issue
| What did Minnesotans spend their time doing in 1996? |
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