1 in 5 kids could be gambling addicts
Published: 02 Dec. 2009, 23:03
He went there to play a gambling game in which he could win products if he got lucky and pulled the correct tab. But when he ran out of money, he started to steal from his teacher and from his friends.
He says he once brought a piggy bank he took from a friend’s house. As his addiction grew, he began playing similar games with his friends during school breaks. When his school counselor asked him what he liked about games, he said, “I feel like I can win a really good prize if I do it just one more time.”
Gambling, thus far considered here an evil practice for adults, is rapidly spreading among youths. According to a recent report by a team of researchers led by Chungnam National University, one out of five Korean juveniles are already gambling addicts or carry a high potential to gamble in the future. The study was conducted at the request of the National Gaming Control Commission under the Prime Minister’s Office.
The report, based on a gambling addiction test conducted on 894 middle and high school students in Daejeon, showed that 5 percent displayed symptoms of gambling addiction and 15.5 percent were at risk. The test used is called the “Canadian Problem Gambling Index” and measures the prevalence of gambling proclivities. In 2002, it showed that only 2.22 percent Canadian juveniles were present or potential gambling addicts.
“Even if the test date gap between Korea and Canada is taken into account, the degree of gambling addiction among Korean juveniles is serious,” said Shin Won-woo, professor of welfare at Hyupsung University who participated in the study.
Experts point to the Internet as the key culprit behind the high gambling addiction rate among Korean youngsters. A variety of online games in which players can win cyber money and products fans their propensity to gamble, they say. In the poll, 84 percent of respondents said they have played either the online games or gambled.
Lim In-ja, who runs a private institution providing gambling addiction therapy, said, “We are in an environment where everyone can enjoy gambling at home.” The Korean tradition of betting money on cards or other games with family members during the holidays can have a negative influence on youth, experts also say. Some 38 percent of poll respondents with gambling experience said their first encounter was with their families.
Park Soo-ae, a researcher with the People and Practice Research Center at Yonsei University, said, “Koreans tend to have no aversion to gambling because they are so used to the culture. Adults should keep in mind that when kids become addicted to gambling at a younger age, it’s harder to correct when they grow up.”
By Chung Sun-un [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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