Ninety-eight percent of the middle school and high school students surveyed by the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality & Tourism (LIGHT) at Stockton University spend time on the internet every day, 89 percent play video games and 37 percent of them have gambled in some way, according to a study done for the New Jersey Lottery and Northstar New Jersey Lottery Group, LLC, as part of the lottery’s responsible gaming program.
The study, which focused on underage gambling perspectives and behavior, was supported by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (1-800-GAMBLER).
Four school districts in the vicinity of Atlantic City, including Galloway Township, Egg Harbor Township, Greater Egg Harbor Regional and Mainland Regional, participated in the study designed to identify the frequency of internet use and video/Internet game play among pre-teen and teen students. The survey asked how they viewed gambling and whether they, or their friends, participated in gambling activity.
“The New Jersey Lottery believes it is important to support responsible gaming initiatives and understand the perspectives of our children,” stated Carole Hedinger, executive director of the New Jersey Lottery. “We chose Stockton’s Lloyd D. Levenson Institute due to its expertise in studying gaming-related issues.”
Rummy Pandit, LIGHT’s executive director, agreed with the importance of the study, and worked with the lottery and the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey on the initiative.
Felicia Grondin, LIGHT’s associate director, who served as the study’s principal investigator and author, provided some highlights about the students’ habits:
• 98 percent spent anywhere from 1-13-plus hours on the Internet every day;
• 89 percent play video games;
• 37 percent have gambled at some time; and,
• 25 percent were likely to gamble in the future.
Of those who indicated that they gambled:
• 88 percent gambled for money; and,
• 14 percent believed that their gambling had caused them serious problems such as stress or anxiety.
The study highlights the need for middle school and high school students to receive reliable information about the risks and rewards of gambling, according to a press release from the university.
To address that need, the lottery offers curriculum materials for “Stacked Deck: A Program to Prevent Problem Gambling,” which, in six sessions, teaches facts about gambling and related risks, encourages students to make responsible decisions with regard to gambling, and aims to prevent them from becoming problem gamblers.
With lottery support, Stacked Deck has been used by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey to present underage gambling prevention education in after-school programs offered by nonprofit agencies serving children in Mercer and Gloucester counties in New Jersey. Additional presentations are planned for later this year, with the goal of making Stacked Deck available in schools throughout New Jersey.
“Gambling addiction usually crosses over numerous habit-forming activities, and needs to be addressed in a thorough manner, especially among our children,” said Neva Pryor, executive director of the Council of Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey. “The information derived from this study will be extremely useful to address this important concern for our youth.”
