Winter 1996/1997

(Excerpts from an essay by an 18 year old high school senior from S.W. Minnesota.)

Turning 18 and going to the casino has become a rite of passage among high school seniors. Gambling has become the "cool" image and pass time. I myself have experienced "the itch," but was lucky to have had extremely bad luck at the casino. This poor luck has rapidly cured me of the desire. Gambling, however, is not confined to just the casino. Everywhere in town, on any given night, it is possible to find groups of kids playing poker for money. Poker starts among a few students in the school and then catches on. Different gambling circles form, each with a different reputation with respect to size of the stakes...

...Some have suggested that the legal age be raised to 21. I disagree. Turning 21 and being able to drink and gamble for the first time on the same night would be catastrophic. Furthermore, it's better to learn the lessons about gambling while living at home. During college or when supporting a family is a bad time to learn control. Learning these facts early in life is like taking a vaccine from which one becomes sick for a few days while yet avoiding a deadly disease. The best thing we can do to help the youth is to educate. Few know how addictive gambling really is, until it happens to them. Yet fewer know the facts about problem gambling. This problem is escalating in our community. I feel that the school is where we need to start. We can't change what kids think is "cool," but we can at least let them know about the dangers.