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Indiana School System
Says No To Casino Games
Sept. 7-06
Indiana will be incorporating a new facet to the
curriculum for students this upcoming fall term. After school programs will not
only tackle information concerning the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, but
also the growing concern of gambling addiction. The school system in the
State of Indiana is acknowledging the growing appeal that gambling presents to
teenagers in the state.
Apparently the change in the curriculum has come out of
the popularity of the Texas Hold 'Em poker game that has been introduced to
teenagers through televised competitions such as Celebrity Poker and the World
Series of Poker in Las Vegas. School officials all over the United States are
making a strong effort to completely and thoroughly respond to the increased
exposure that teens are experiencing with casino games. Indiana hopes to combat
gambling addiction through education.
Mary, the Coordinator of the Problem Gambling Initiative,
believes that the issue of gambling addiction and the exposure to casino games
should be addressed by the school system. According to statewide statistics
gathered by the Problem Gambling Initiative, there are more than 35% of middle
schooler that have participated in some form of casino related gambling.
For seniors in high school this percentage jumped to about 55%.
This studies has illustrated the risks that teenagers
may in fact become addicted to the casino games. Gambling addiction is as much a
possibly as any substance abuse among this highly impressionable age group.
As a means to prevent teenagers pre-mature participation
in casino games, after school programs have incorporated dialogue that speaks to
the odds of winning a game. If these teenagers are educated, it is the thought
of the state of Indiana that they will not take unnecessary risks. The course
will also outline the parameters of gambling addiction and offer hotlines that
students can call to get help.
The stance that Indiana is taking is very pro-active, and
may be a model for other programs concerning casino addiction among other
states. One thing is clear as the nation moves forward into the gambling
frontier; residual problems caused by casino game play must be addressed so that
later complications may be prevented.
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