In many cases of gambling addiction, the compulsive behaviour begins young. Plenty of research points to early intervention as a way to prevent young people from becoming problem gamblers. Building on this premise, the Swedish gambling regulator Lotterinspektion has launched a new program that aims to educate young people about gambling.
Prata Om Spel (which translates to Talk About Gambling) teaches students about probability in gambling. They learn about the reality of winning at casino games and the lottery, in order to gain an understanding of how to gamble responsibly.
There are two major goals for the program:
– To work long-term to change young people's attitudes and behaviour regarding gambling.
– To provide the target audience the opportunity for critical review of betting through neutral and tailored to target groups knowledge and information.
There are two different modules, one of which is targeted to towards students in Grades 7 through 9. The other is aimed at high school students. The Grade 7 – 9 program offers up a wide array of information on various topics, including: gambling in art history, illegal gambling, risk and gambling advertising.
The high school program covers: gambling in art history, gambling probability and the Swedish gambling market. In Australia, there are some programs that have adopted a similar approach to gambling education for young people.
EPIC (Education, Prevention, Identification and Control) aims to provide young people aged 12 – 24 with a realistic understanding of gambling probability to prevent them from developing dangerous gambling behaviour. The program offers education in school as part of various curriculums, which ensures that young people across the country actively learn about gambling responsibility.
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