There are two main approaches to preventing problem gambling among youth.

• Reduce the potential for future harm to youth who choose to gamble.
• Inform youth about the resources available if they need help.

The general approach to preventing problem gambling among youth is to reduce risk levels by enhancing protective factors, such as family cohesion and connectedness to school, while strengthening their coping abilities and the surrounding environment.

This philosophy, while contrary to the traditional approach to drugs of “just say no,” focuses on increasing their resiliency, if they do gamble, and what can be done when they experience difficulty.

Youth organizations capable of delivering the message about the signs of problem gambling and the benefits of treatment should be targeted to take on a more active role. The YMCA Youth Gambling Project is a good example of an organization that is engaged in educating youth about gambling and preventing problem gambling.

Most researchers agree that no one prevention strategy should be used to the exclusion of others, and Baer, McLean and Marlatt (1998) contend that no one single prevention approach to adolescent drug and alcohol abuse has been found to be uniformly successful. Both Shepard (2004) and Dickson et al. (2002) agree that this will likely hold true for gambling prevention.

Also, prevention programs should be tailored to the developmental level of the youth they target. Abstinence-type programs may be more suitable for younger children, in order to delay the onset of their first gambling experience. The abstinence model, however, may have a negative effect when applied to older adolescents, who are generally more rebellious and socially critical. Youth gambling literature does not have a wealth of recommendations for age-appropriate prevention strategies. Dishion et al. (1999) warn that “grouping antisocial adolescents together for intervention seems to be associated with more negative outcomes for older rather than younger children” (in Dickson et al., 2002, 143).

Parents’ Role in Prevention

The International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors website (www.youthgambling.com) at McGill University in Montreal makes the following suggestions to parents:

The first thing parents should do is talk to their children. Communicating with a child or teen begins with listening. As a preventive measure, parents should talk to them about gambling to ensure they understand the risks when gambling. Encouraging conversation about gambling does not mean that you agree with the behaviour. In reality, it can help children make informed choices about their own behaviour.

It is important to be aware that children are more likely to gamble if they observe their family members gambling or hear their family members talking excitedly about gambling. Parents should be advised to discuss with their children that gambling is a form of entertainment and not a way to make money. This can help them understand that in addition to being fun, there are risks to gambling. Limiting or eliminating gambling activities in the home and replacing these with non-gambling family activities can help create a fun family environment.

If you think your child is gambling or gambling too much you have many options, including seeking professional help. Here are some general steps to follow:

• Get informed about gambling and its risks.
• Be aware of your own gambling behaviour and beliefs.
• Encourage discussions and questions about gambling.
• Listen to what your child has to say.
• Set limits on time, money and frequency of gambling if problems are not severe.
• Seek professional assistance if you think the problem is severe.

In their review of effective social-marketing campaigns targeted at youth alcohol and substance use, the McGill Centre came up with several recommendations for an effective youth gambling prevention campaign, summarized briefly below (adapted from Byrne et al., 2004):

• Focus testing is important in order to ascertain which messages are most relevant to youth.
• It appears that both negative health effects and de-normalization messages are effective tools for initiating change in substance use attitudes, knowledge and behaviour in youth.
• De-normalization may also play a special role in gambling prevention through the use of statistics to describe an individual’s chances of winning at a particular gambling game.
• It is recommended that at least one message be developed using young actors.
• Alternatives to gambling must be presented whenever possible. Fear-based messages should be used with caution.
• Messages must target specific groups based on a number of variables. Age appears to be an important consideration.
• It may be useful to target parents as well as children and adolescents.

More recommendations can be found in An Examination of Social Marketing Campaigns for the Prevention of Youth Problem Gambling (Byrne et al., 2004).

There are many prevention programs currently in use. A recent catalogue of current North American programs is listed below:

Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (1996). Problem gambling: The healing circle.  Edmonton, AB: AADAC Resource Development and Marketing.

Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (1996). Spare time, spare cash: Teens talking about gambling [Video]. Edmonton, AB: AADAC Resource Development and Marketing.

Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling (1995). Teen gambling: Minor bettors, major problems [Video]. Guilford, CT: Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling.

Fischer, L. (Program director) (1999). Gambling: Reducing the risks. Regina, SK: Saskatchewan Health and Saskatchewan Education.

International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors (2004). The amazing château [CD-ROM]. Montreal, QC: McGill University.

International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors (2004). Hooked city [CD-ROM]. Montreal, QC: McGill University.

International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors (2006). Clean break: A gambling prevention docudrama. Montreal, QC: McGill University.

International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors. Youth gambling: An awareness and prevention workshop. Montreal, QC: McGill University.

Laval University Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Pathological Gambling (2001). Lucky (Lucky: le hasard on ne peut rien y changer) [Video]. Sainte-Foy, QC: Laval University.

Le Groupe Jeunesse (2000). Count me out (Moi, je passe): Awareness program for the prevention of gambling dependency. Montreal, QC: Le Groupe Jeunesse.

MacDonald, J., Turner, N., & Somerset, M. (2007, February). Life skills, mathematical reasoning and critical thinking: Curriculum for the prevention of problem gambling [Research Report]. Guelph, ON: Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre.

Minnesota Council on Compulsive Gambling. Wanna bet? [Curriculum guide and video]. Duluth, MN: North American Training Institute.

Nova Scotia Department of Health (1997). Drawing the line: A resource for the prevention of problem gambling. Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia Department of Health’s Problem Gambling Services division. Available at http://www.gov.ns.ca/HPP/addictionprevention.html

Pyle, M., & Steingard, T. Caught in the game: A drama about youth gambling. Toronto, ON: Responsible Gambling Council.

Responsible Gambling Council (2002). Know the score. Toronto, ON: Responsible Gambling Council.

Responsible Gambling Council. Within limits. Toronto, ON: Responsible Gambling Council.

Shaffer, H.J., Hall, M.N., & Vander Bilt, J. (2000). Facing the odds: The mathematics of gambling and other risks (previously known as Probability, statistics, and number sense in gambling and everyday life: A contemporary mathematics curriculum). Medford, MA: Harvard Medical School Division on Addictions and the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling. Available at http://www.divisiononaddictions.org/curr/facing_the_odds.htm

Svendsen, R., & Griffin, T. (1994). Improving your odds: A curriculum about winning, losing and staying out of trouble with gambling. Mounds View, MN: Minnesota Institute of Public Health.

Svendsen, R. (2000). Deal me in: Gambling trigger videos and posters. Mounds View, MN: Minnesota Institute of Public Health.

University of Lethbridge School of Health Sciences (2001). High school and university gambling prevention and awareness programs. Lethbridge, AB: University of Lethbridge School of Health Sciences.

YMCA. YMCA Youth gambling program. Toronto. ON: YMCA.

Wiebe and Falkowski-Ham (2003) highlight important considerations for gambling prevention policies. Their key points are summarized below:

• “Youth attribute different meanings to the terms betting and gambling, with gambling viewed as more negative than betting. This has important implications for the development of targeted messages. Not only is it important to use the appropriate language, in this case ‘betting,’ but also to reinforce that all activities where something of value is being risked have the potential to create problems.”
• “Internet gambling is an area of increasing concern. A related area deserving attention is the potential use of pre-paid credit cards by youth for purposes of gambling on the Internet.”
• “As well, given that so many youth know friends who are experiencing these problems, it may be advantageous to target this group separately. The information may include ways to avoid peer pressure, as well as helpful advice that youth can provide their friends regarding gambling matters.”
• “Just less than one-quarter of youth feel that betting is cool and approximately one-third feel that it is fun. These perceptions increase with age. In addition, youth who describe themselves as popular, leaders or risk-takers are more likely to gamble. While this is an area that warrants further investigation, it is possible that there is a place for messages that target the desirable attributes associated with betting.”
• Youth have a “general lack of knowledge of probability.”
• “Most youth understand that gambling can create problems and recognize that spending more money and time gambling than intended, or borrowing or stealing from others, can create problems. At the same time, about 25% of youth do not feel that these are potential warning signs. This signifies a need to reinforce the potential warning signs of a gambling problem. In doing so, however, it is critical that the language and examples are meaningful to the target audience.”
• “Parents are important key influencers. It is important that parents realize the impact their own gambling behaviour and attitudes have on their children.”
• “While strides have been made in providing information to youth, efforts tend to rely on the school as the dissemination vehicle. There is a need to broaden the focus by utilizing an array of mediums to raise awareness of the potential risks associated with gambling.”

Problem Gambling Prevention: High School and University

Prevention programs discussed so far have dealt solely or primarily with adolescent gambling. Williams and Connelly of the University of Lethbridge (2003) have created two separate gambling prevention programs that target university and high-school students. They argue that there ought to be more school-based prevention efforts and that these programs should be multi-session, interactive and engaging, and skill-oriented.

In their university program, Williams and Connelly sought to determine whether a superior knowledge of gambling probabilities affects gambling attitudes or behaviours. In their study, they compared students who received 10 sessions of gambling-related statistics lectures to 2 control groups.

Results after a 6-month follow-up indicated that students in the gambling-related statistics course had a significant increase in their ability to calculate odds and avoid cognitive errors, although there was no difference in gambling attitudes or gambling behaviour. The variable most strongly associated with decreases in gambling behaviour at the 6-month follow-up was an increase in negative attitudes towards gambling.

In the high-school program, grade 10 and 11 students attended 5 gambling awareness sessions, each lasting 100 minutes. The topics included gambling odds, problem gambling, gambling fallacies, decision-making and problem solving. Results indicated that, compared to a control group, the intervention group had a significant increase in gambling knowledge and negative attitudes towards gambling, and a decrease in cognitive errors. There was no difference, however, in the amount of time gambled or gambling frequency. The variables most strongly associated with decreases in gambling behaviour after the 3-month follow-up were: more negative attitudes toward gambling, more knowledge of gambling and fewer cognitive errors.

The lessons learned from this initiative, as stated by Williams and Connelly (2003), are the following:

• Teaching people about gambling odds may be analogous to telling smokers about the harmful effects of smoking or drinkers about the harmful effects of drinking—perhaps not that effective in prevention initiatives.

• Developing a more negative attitude toward gambling most strongly predicts decreased gambling behaviour.

• Improving people’s knowledge about problem gambling appears to be important (and perhaps a mechanism by which attitudes change).

• Teaching people about the cognitive errors underlying gambling fallacies is important.

• Trying to improve generic decision-making, problem-solving and coping skills is probably important.

Finally, there are resources available for those seeking information on best practices regarding prevention principles. They are listed below:

McBride, N. (2002). Systematic literature review of school drug education. Perth, WA: National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology.

Health Canada (2001). Preventing substance use problems: A compendium of best practices. Ottawa, ON: Health Canada.

Hawks, D., Scott, K., McBride, N., Jones, P., & Stockwell, T. (2002). Prevention of psychoactive substance use: A selected review of what works in the area of prevention. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.