Youth Gambling Risks

Parents would never think of putting marijuana or cocaine in their child's Christmas stocking. But those same parents think nothing about slipping a few lottery tickets in their child's Christmas stocking or holding a teen Texas hold 'em poker tournament for teens in the family room.

Sports Gambling

Do you bet on the Super Bowl? It's hard withstanding the social pressure to make a bet on the big game; kind of like trying to resist the social pressure of having a drink. Consider not betting on one Super Bowl – just kick back and enjoy the game. Remember those days as a kid when you had a great time without betting? We've got tips for "winning" on Super Bowl Sunday.

Chinese New Year

It is said that the Chinese have a propensity for gambling. Chinese New Year, the first day of the lunar new year, is that festive season when everyone takes part in a tradition that transcends generations. Children and adults put moral rule books aside as they indulge in games of Blackjack and other gambling activities at home. It is a time when the gambling streak shows up in everyone, and parents tolerate gambling among their children. Some believe that what happens on the first day of the New Year reflects the rest of the year to come. Asians will often gamble at the beginning of the year in the hopes of gaining luck and prosperity for the rest of the year. Read more about this issue on the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling website.

Prof Finds Campus Gambling Addictions Prevalent

Yi Li started playing poker online during his freshman year in his Hagerstown dorm room. At first he only played a couple hours a day, but eventually the same game that made him $6,000 over two semesters became an addiction. "I used to play instead of doing my schoolwork. I started falling behind," the senior math and physics major said.

The Neuroscience of Gambling

Harrah's New Orleans, the largest casino in the city, is on pace for its best year ever: gambling revenue is up 13.6 percent through the first five months of 2007 compared with the same period in 2005, pre-Katrina. The casinos in this region are generating more revenue – from significantly fewer players – in large part because of the extra money that many area residents have in their pockets and fewer alternatives on where to spend it, casino executives and others in the region say. 

Underage and Out of Luck:
As Internet gambling grows, more teens are logging on - and losing it all

Alex M. played his first hand of Texas Hold ‘Em about three years ago, in a friend’s basement on a rainy afternoon in Long Island, N.Y. It was love at first flop. Before long he was sacrificing sleep to all-night sessions in illegal card clubs and Internet poker rooms. Barely a year later, his losses totaled more than $10,000. He was 18 years old. He hadn’t yet graduated from high school. 

Study Provides New Understanding of Excessive Gambling

People process information about financial loss through mechanisms in the brain similar to those used for processing physical pain, according to a new imaging study. The results could provide a new understanding of excessive gambling.