Ballarat Community Health (BCH) has recently issued a new survey that aims to collect information about gambling from youths across the city. Ten Ballarat schools will take part in the survey, providing the BCH with data about the potential risks that only gambling presents for young people.
“This research will allow us to better understand the incidence, attitudes and awareness of online gambling among adolescents,” says Dr Julie Nitschke, the principal researcher for the study. Online gambling is making it increasingly more convenient for young people to get involved in casino games and poker.
Public health officials are worried that youths are able to access online casinos and online poker rooms from their mobile phones, and only require their parents’ credit cards to place wagers. This research will determine if these concerns are justifiable by asking Year 9 and 10 students about their attitudes towards gambling online.
If young people are being exposed to gambling, they are likely to develop compulsive gambling behaviour later on in life. Several studies have proven this point, and now it is up to Dr Nitschke to determine whether or not online gambling is a market that exposes individuals to gambling from a very early age. Several schools have already completed the survey.
According to the Courier, students from five schools stated that gambling was not a major concern for their peers while students at St. Patrick’s College were made more aware of the dangers of online gambling thanks to the survey. The Responsible Gambling Foundation provided the BCH and Dr Nitschke with the funding required to carry out this research.
The project will be completed by December 2013, at which point the research team can accurately determine the dangers that young people are presented with from the online gambling market.
About the Author
