One in 10 children is gambling addict

Key quote "Gambling in children is not obvious, like smoking, drinking or physical abuse, but it is there. Advice on gambling needs to be part of the school curriculum" - Sousana Mesimeri, deputy project leader RCA Trust

Story in full ALMOST one in ten Scottish children is a problem gambler, with some as young as 11 skipping school to feed fruit machines, the first extensive study into the problem has revealed.

The survey of more than 2,000 pupils from 12 schools across west central Scotland found nine per cent were exhibiting behaviour that could lead to a fully fledged gambling addiction later on in life. In England and Wales the figure is six per cent.

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A further 15 per cent of Scottish children are deemed to be at-risk of developing a gambling habit.

Researchers believe there is a direct link between problem gambling in childhood and a fully fledged adult addiction which has reached record levels in Scotland.

The average Scottish adult now spends almost 1,900 a year on games of chance - three times as much as four years ago. Gamblers Anonymous has reported a 200 per cent rise in the number of addicts attending its Edinburgh meetings alone.

Campaigners said the new research into children's gambling habits showed the urgent need for new age restrictions to be introduced on all slot machines.

The team from Glasgow Caledonian University questioned the children about their gambling habits, including whether they had missed school to gamble, if they felt it difficult to stop gambling, if they became tense and irritable if asked to stop, or if they had experienced problems with their family because of the habit.

The study revealed that 9.7 per cent of secondary school pupils, aged 13 or 14 had a problem with their gambling; as did 8.6 per cent of students aged 15 or 16.

Of the smaller number of primary school pupils, aged 11 or 12, interviewed, 5.9 per cent had a problem, with almost half of those skipping school to gamble.

The results also found that boys are 3.5 times more likely to be problem gamblers than girls.

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Crawford Moodie, a psychologist at Glasgow Caledonian and author of the study, was prompted to look into the issue because of the "dearth of information" about youth gambling in Scotland. He found a higher number of under-age problem gamblers than in England and Wales, and certainly than the rest of Europe, where gambling on fruit machines is illegal for under-16s in most countries.

The study found fruit machines are the most popular form of gambling. Under-16s in Scotland are only allowed legally to gamble on "Category D" fruit machines that pay out a 5 jackpot for 10p stakes.

However, Mr Moodie said these machines are difficult to tell from higher category machines, making it easy for children to bet more serious money.

Also, the machines teach children to become addicted to the adrenaline and rewards from gambling.

Children with gambling problems spent an average of 4.35 a week on the habit, almost a fifth of their weekly income and a large amount for a child. They were also more likely to smoke and drink.

Next year the Gambling Act will see the setting up of 17 new casinos in Britain including a super casino. The government claims children will be better protected, but Mr Moodie is expecting the problem to get worse.

"I would expect with the global expansion of legalised gambling and the increase in accessibility and availability - and the technical advances in gambling through the internet, to see an increase in youth gambling," he said.

Irene McLaughlin, the Scottish co-ordinator of the counselling service Gamcare, said the organisation has seen a massive increase in recent years, with fears that as many as 100,000 Scots are secretly battling some form of betting problem.

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She said: "Fruit machines are seen as not problematic but it is dangerous because it is a learned behaviour and if there is an award system that learned behaviour is reinforced."

Ms McLaughlin called for a rise in the age limit on fruit machines in Scotland and education on the dangers of gambling.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport said the act will protect children by increasing the powers of the regulatory body, the Gambling Commission, to punish any premises allowing children to gamble and restricting the areas where slot machines are allowed.

However, Fergus Ewing, SNP MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, said the new casinos, with their glamour and accessibility, will make it worse for children. "Many individual lives will be ruined. The children of Britain are going to be exposed to a risk of gambling addiction on a scale hitherto unknown."

Losing the habit

LIKE most gamblers, John kept believing he would win. But at the age of just 15, he was losing 100 a week at the local arcade. John was the first child to be treated for a gambling problem at the RCA Trust, a counselling service in Renfrewshire.

The schoolboy was referred by social workers after being arrested for trying to steal an elderly woman's purse. Although he was from a comfortable home and doing well at school, it soon emerged he had a gambling problem.

The habit started innocently enough on the "puggies" - slots machines - while skipping school. However, John soon became addicted to the thrill of betting and was spending 60 a week from a part-time job as well as pocket money and the proceeds of theft.

RCA forced John to keep a diary to make him realise how much he was spending, helped him to control the need for an impulsive thrill and gave him money management courses.

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Sousana Mesimeri, deputy project leader for young people's services at the trust, said if a child's problem gambling was not addressed it could become worse in adulthood.

"Gambling in children is not obvious, like smoking, drinking or physical abuse, but it is there," she said. "Advice on gambling needs to be part of the school curriculum."

• John is not the boy's real name.

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