Lynne Stevens
The horses are all in the gate – and they're off!
Going to Pimlico Race Track on Preakness Day – which is the second race of the coveted Triple Crown – was a long-time tradition in my home when I was a kid. My mom warned my dad not to bet on any races – but we went to the paddock, looked over the horses and the odds, and we picked a horse. My dad then went to the window and got one ticket. We only got one ticket per race and spent about $10 total.
I’m sure my dad fessed up to his misdeeds each year to my mom!
How things have changed since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that states could legalize sports betting. Online sports betting went live in North Carolina on March 2024 – and North Carolinian’s wasted no time in putting up the money. It is estimated that in February of this year, $596,137,211 was bet on sporting events.
Unless you love a day at the races, most betting today is done on a cell phone – and it is so very easy. Cell phones are full of gambling ads in bright, flashing colors – which is very attractive to the brain and acts in similar addictive fashion to scrolling on a cell phone.
It is important for parents to know the executive function of teen brains are not developed often into the 20s. It is the last mental function to mature in a teenager. This means the ability to regulate emotion; the ability to manage thought and behavior in a variety of situations is not fully developed.
Executive function is often related to good judgment. There are a subset of teens who are prone to so-called "addictive behavior." According to Matt Missar – an addiction counselor – teens who start to gamble between the ages of 13-14 and move on to gamble more and more reach a point where gambling becomes a problem. Kids find ways to overcome age firewalls. He reports the numbers of patients are increasing (NPR).
What can parents look for?
* Loot boxes are video game items that are randomized and players take a chance to get a wanted item often for less than a dollar;
* Hanging around with other teens who gamble and make group bets;
* Poor communication with parents and siblings makes it difficult to discover a gambling problem;
* Teen males seem to be more susceptible together with strained family connections.
Be it at school church or home, teach kids about the reality of how the odds are stacked against them by very sophisticated people who are out to get their money. Teach kids how to save for what they want and remind them of the odds which favor loosing in the bright lights of the gambling arena.
Recently, organized crime infiltrated the NBA. I would ask how the Supreme Court could think their ruling – without sufficient, accompanying guard rails and strict control – could lead us to a more perfect union?
Lynne Stevens writes a bi-weekly column for The Graham Star. She can be reached via email, geminga@mailfence.com.