Online casino games may up risk of gambling in youth
Free
online casino games may be an alternative to paid gambling, but it is linked to a
higher risk of monetary gambling as well as problems related to it including
abuse issues, attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), stress, depression, anxiety or bipolar
disorder, warns a new research.
The
study showed that adolescents who participated in free online games called
social casino games, were significantly more likely to participate in monetary
gambling, either online or land-based forms.
These
social casino games may also have higher odds of winning than monetary
gambling, giving young people the false impression that they are luckier or
better at gambling.
"Adolescents'
participation in seemingly risk-free social casino games is a concern because
we know that early exposure to gambling activities is a risk factor for
developing gambling problems in the future," said Tara Elton-Marshall,
lead Researcher at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto.
While
bricks-and-mortar casinos and legal gambling websites are off-limits to
adolescents, free online games are open to anyone.
These
social casino games let people try their hand at casino table games, slots,
poker or bingo without betting real money. Like monetary gambling, people place
bets in hopes of winning rewards, in this case, points or prizes within the
game only. Read
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