Online gambling puts Washington teens at risk, experts warn.

A significant number of high school students participate in gambling activities across the country.Across the nation, a sizable portion of high school students are involved in gambling. Between 60 and 80 percent of high school students admitted to gambling for money during the 2020–2021 academic year, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling. 

According to the Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling, one in twelve teenagers in Washington engage in regular gambling. Furthermore, one in seventeen teenagers in Washington suffer from severe gambling-related problems. This can include losing money they cannot afford to, selling items to fund bets or committing crimes to pay off their debts. 

Online sports betting sites provide today’s teens with unprecedented access to gambling, according to gambling addiction experts, despite Washington’s stringent laws governing betting sites.  

Riley Leno works at New Horizon Care Centres in Spokane as a Certified Gambling Counsellor. Leno claims to have personally witnessed the effects of gambling addiction. 

Because they’re so engrossed in gambling, “it can cause people to spend hours and hours, ignore their food intake, ignore using the restroom,” Leno said. 

Teen problem gamblers have particular difficulties, according to Leno. 

“You don’t know what to do with that kind of stimulus when you’re going through a developmental phase and experiencing ups and downs,” Leno said. Leno put it this way: “You’re taking it all in, adopting those mentalities, and are unable to process it, unable to see the aspects of it because it just feels good.” 

The fact that gambling is so widely accessible online is only making problem betting more likely. 

“Gambling is everywhere,” Leno remarked. “It used to be just billboards and TV and radio when it came to casinos and card rooms. Now however we have it online very explicitly.”

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