Online gambling and alcohol could be connected

In the Irish gambling news this week there are reports that young people who use alcohol, cigarettes and even drugs might also be those that are more likely to be involved with online gambling or other forms of gambling. The study was not done in Ireland but in Italy but their teenagers are unlikely to be that different from our own. According to the reports in the Irish gambling news it is associated with risk taking to which some young adults are more prone than others and those that admit to having tried or regularly using soft drugs including tobacco also admit to trying various forms of gambling including online gambling such as video pokers and in particular scratch cards. Online gambling providers are of course in a battle to prevent underage gambling by checking various things when an account is being created but it is relatively simple for kids to use their parents account if the parents are not careful. A surprisingly high percentage of boys (45%) and girls (35%) admit to having tried some form of gambling but this rises to 60% of those admitting to smoking and a massive 73% who admit to drinking as well. The report in the Irish gambling news suggests also that parents might not be active enough in discouraging their offspring and in fact even suggesting that parents might be helping their children into the world of gambling. Online gambling makes it easier for young people to start as they do not have to walk into a  shop where they might be questioned about their age and although online casinos and other online gambling providers ask questions it is the sane young people who are more likely to be able to get round the questions by their knowledge of the internet and by producing fake documents.