by Mary Rupert
Lottery tickets are not a good holiday gift for children, according to the “Gift Responsibly” campaign.
Andrica Wilcoxen, outreach and prevention coordinator at Kansas City Kansas Community College, said the National Council of Problem Gambling is sponsoring the holiday campaign this year called “Gift Responsibly.”
“Lottery tickets are not suitable gifts for children under 18 years of age,” Wilcoxen said.
The holiday campaign encourages parents and loved ones not to give lottery products as gifts to minors.
Wilcoxen said research shows the majority of adolescents gamble occasionally, and holiday products may be a gateway to problem gambling.
“Youth gambling has been shown to be linked to other risk-taking and addictive behaviors such as smoking, drinking and drug use,” Wilcoxen said.
There is problem gambling among some youth in Wyandotte County, according to Wilcoxen.
She held a problem gambling booth at a middle school in Wyandotte County last week to bring awareness and education to that age group.
While there, she met a middle school student who gambles and loves to play the lottery, she said.
He pulled out his wallet and had two lottery tickets that he was excited about. He told her his dad buys the tickets for him. He told her he was excited about getting out of school and cashing them in for a win that day, she added.
“I was shocked to see the young man with lottery tickets,” Wilcoxen said. “It is a form of entertainment, but they don’t understand how that can turn into an addiction.”
She said she is finding that young women in middle school are often more responsible than the young men.
“We’re finding that our young men, middle school boys, are not as concerned about becoming addicted to gambling as the young ladies are,” she said. “The young ladies are more responsible. Young men want the chase.”
She asks students if they think gambling is right or wrong, and many young men say it’s right because one can win money and pay the bills. Many young women say it’s wrong because one can lose money and that money could have bought other things, she said.
She advises parents and relatives not to buy lottery tickets for the youth so they don’t become problem gamblers.