Lesson Plans on Gambling Behavior
Webster defines the intransitive verb “gamble”
1a. to play a game for (as money or property);
1b. to bet on an uncertain outcome;
2.
to stake something on a contingency:
SPECULATE.
It defines the transitive verb “gamble:”
1.
to risk by gambling: WAGER;
2.
VENTURE, HAZARD.
• Gambling is playing a game of chance or betting money on the outcome of
an event, race, game or outcome. (Gambling Education for Teens, California
Council on Problem Gambling)
• A simpler way to think of gambling is that any time you participate in an
activity, in which you try to win more than what you had before, you are
gambling.
Lesson Plans on Gambling Behavior
Gambling involves games of CHANCE and games of SKILL
Games of Chance:
Games of Skill:
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Arcades
Shell Games
Rolling Dice
Midway Games at the Fair
Lotteries
Bingo
Video Lottery Terminals
Scratch and Win Cards
Pull Tabs
Flipping Cards
Roulette
Internet Gambling
Sporting Events
Raffles
Sweepstakes
Poker and Other Card
Games
Pool
Darts
Video Games
Race Track Betting
Board Games
Marbles
Sports
Lesson Plans on Gambling Behavior
Gambling Quiz #1
Answer true (T) or false (F) to the following statements:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Gamblers who lost large amounts of money just don’t know how to
gamble.
If you flip a penny and it comes up “heads” four times in a row, the next
flip will be more likely to come up “tails” than “heads.”
About 30 percent of teens have some level of gambling problem.
“Chasing” is gambling to win back money that has previously been lost
through gambling.
Buying raffle tickets and betting on school sports events are not considered
gambling.
It’s okay to spend all of your paycheck on gambling because you might win
even more than you earned.
About 67 percent of adolescents gamble.
People gamble strictly because it’s fun.
You must be 18 or older to gamble legally in Kentucky.
Some people who gamble have higher than average intelligence.
Lesson Plans on Gambling Behavior
Gambling is legal in every state in the United States and the District of Columbia
except:
• Hawaii (considering gambling)
• Tennessee (considering lottery)
• Utah
Total gambling revenues in the United States exceed $600 billion annually.
There are three legal forms of gambling in Kentucky:
• The Kentucky Lottery, which had $583 million gross revenue in 2000.
• Horse Race Wagering, which saw $630 million wagered in 2000.
• Charitable Gaming (bingo), which collected $573 million in receipts in 2000.
Lesson Plans on Gambling Behavior
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Gambling dates to prehistoric times.
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Lotteries were used in Colonial times to pay for the War of Independence and to start
colleges.
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KEES Scholarships (funded by Lottery receipts) help Kentucky students go to college.
Teens gamble at a higher rate that adults:
• A 1999 National Research Council survey reported 85 percent of adolescents gambled
in their lifetime.
• A 1997 survey of 6th grade-12th grade students in Louisiana led by Dr. James
Westphal found that 86 percent had gambled.
• Five surveys on youth gambling reported by Dr. Durand F. Jacobs, Loma Linda
University Medical School, California, cited a median level of gambling participation
between 1989-1999 as 66 percent, ranging in the surveys from 52-71 percent.
Lesson Plans on Gambling Behavior
“Even without casino gambling in the state, Kentucky teens already have ample
opportunity to gamble. We interviewed 22 teens about gambling, 10 girls and 12 guys.
Every boy – and seven of the girls – had gambled, whether it was putting $2 into an
NCAA betting pool at school, scratching lottery tickets or wagering on horses.
“The attraction is simple. ‘When you gamble, you get this feeling like, ‘”Maybe the next
time I will get lucky,’” said Maria Campos, 16, a junior at Tates Creek High School,
who has visited Keeneland and placed $2 bets on races. Maria said the lure of
gambling is its excitement, but with a ‘kind of dirty and bad’ feeling underneath. . .
“’Santa always left scratch-off lottery tickets in my stocking,’ said Brent Schanding, 17, a
senior at Bourbon County High School. ‘That made me question the legitimacy of
Santa – and his involvement with the Kentucky Lotto.’
“Steven Bain, 18, a senior at Lafayette High School, is legal at the track now, but he also
placed bets before he was of legal age. He and other boys said they were rarely carded
at track windows. Other kids said they place wagers through parents, relatives or older
friends.” (Lexington Herald Leader, Jan. 28, 1999)
Lesson Plans on Gambling Behavior
Types of Gambling
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NORMAL GAMBLING is what most people (estimated at 95 percent of the population by the
Harvard Medical School Center for Addiction Studies MetaAnalysis) do for fun and
entertainment. They have a limit to the amount of money they will use to gamble, and when
they’ve reached the limit they will stop. Win, lose or draw, they stop when they choose. They may
gamble once a year, once a month or once a week, but it does not cause problems with their dayto-day life.
PROBLEM GAMBLING starts when people gamble over the limit they have set for themselves
and gamble longer than they thought they would. This may start to happen on a regular basis.
They may start to have problems with their family, school or work because of it. They still can
stop when they want to and may not be addicted yet. (Problem gamblers are 3-5 percent of the
population according to the Harvard Medical School Center for Addiction Studies MetaAnalysis.)
PATHOLOGICAL or COMPULSIVE GAMBLING is an addictive illness. (The Harvard
Medical School Center for Addiction Studies MetaAnalysis reports that slightly more than 1
percent of the population is pathological or compulsive gamblers.) The person has an
uncontrollable impulse to gamble and can’t stop. These people may skip meals, lose sleep, forget
to pick up their kids from school, and avoid doctor appointments, school, work, or even life just
to gamble. It’s all they want to do. They may file for bankruptcy, get a divorce, lie and steal from
others, and even commit suicide because of the mess gambling has caused in their lives.
Lesson Plans on Gambling Behavior
There are two types of compulsive gamblers.
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ACTION GAMBLERS often start gambling in their teens or younger. They place small bets on sporting
events or while playing cards with their friends or relatives. They gamble at “skill” games, such as poker or
other card games, horse and dog racing, and sports betting. They usually have large egos and low self-esteem.
They go through the three phases of problem gambling during a 10-30-year time span.
ESCAPE GAMBLERS have some of the same characteristics as the action gambler. They have low selfesteem, are manipulative, become liars and go through the same phases of gambling. However, there are
important differences. Gambling usually becomes a problem later in life, after age 30 or as late as 80. Escape
gamblers play “luck” games such as slot machines, video poker, bingo, lottery, etc. They gamble to escape
problems and to feel more powerful. They seem to be in a trance when they gamble.
The three phases of compulsive gambling are:
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Winning Phase – fun, exciting, entertaining, “rewarding” with occasional big wins. Unreasonable optimism,
fantasies about the big win.
Losing Phase – loses consistently while betting increases. Preoccupation with gambling, sells personal
possessions, borrows to bet, personality changes, gambles to recoup losses (called “chasing the bet”), misses
work or school.
Desperation Phase – stealing, criminal activity to cover bets, panic and depression, alienation from
friends/family, drops out of school/loses job. Self-esteem destroyed. Thinks about suicide.
Lesson Plans on Gambling Behavior
Teen Gambling Warning Signs
How can you tell whether someone may have a gambling
problem? Here are some warning signs:
Unexplained need for money
Valuables and money missing from
home
Frequent cards/dice games at home
Missing or late for school; misses
social gatherings
Excessive and intensive TV sports
watching
Interest in periodicals reporting sports
results
Carrying large amounts of cash
Short, late-night phone calls to 900
numbers
Gambling paraphernalia (betting slips,
lottery tickets)
Sells prized possessions
“Forgets” appointments and dates
Drop in grades and loss of non-gambling
funds
Cultivates gambling language
Gambles to escape problems or
disappointments
May become addicted to alcohol or other
drugs
Often resorts to illegal activities to finance
gambling
Lesson Plans on Gambling Behavior
Behavioral Signs of Teen Gambling
The FAMILY may
notice:
The SCHOOL may The COMMUNITY
notice:
may notice:
•Frequent late
night calls
•Secrecy
•Missing money
•Family violence
•Tardiness
•Truancy
•Grades falling
•Stealing
•Mood swings
•Criminal activity
•Vandalism
•Gang activity
•Theft
•Threatening calls
•Robbery
•Assault with
deadly weapon
•Insurance fraud
Lesson Plans on Gambling Behavior
How to Spot a Problem Gambler
1. Always thinking about gambling or having an urge to gamble that they can’t
stop.
2. Having to bet more money more often to keep up the thrill of gambling.
3. Being really cranky when trying to cut back.
4. Lying to hide gambling.
5. Making bets through illegal activity.
6. Trying to win the money they lost by gambling more.
7. Using gambling as an escape.
8. Making people they love unhappy.
9. Relying on others to help them when they lose all their money.
10. Not able to control or stop their gambling.
Lesson Plans on Gambling Behavior
Teen Gamblers Often Are:
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Intellectually astute
Articulate
Sociable
Charming and loving
Philanthropic
Energized and enduring
A risk-taker
Achievement oriented
Dreaming of the “big win”
Cleaver – rationalizes and
justifies the compulsive
behavior
Focused on hobbies that include gambling
Often insecure and manifesting low self-esteem
Unrealistic about goals
Hooked by distorted optimism
Lesson Plans on Gambling Behavior
Are You a Problem Gambler?
Answer the following questions “yes” or “no.”
1. Do you find yourself thinking about gambling activities at odd times of the day and/or planning the next time
you play?
2. Do you find the need to spend more and more money on gambling activities?
3. Do you become restless, tense, fed-up or bad-tempered when trying to cut down on or stop gambling?
4. Do you ever gamble as a way of escaping problems?
5. After spending money on gambling activities, do you play again another day to try and win your money back?
6. Do you lie to your family and friends to hide how much you gamble?
7. If so, more than half the time?
8. In the past year, have you spent your lunch money or money for bus or train fares on gambling activities?
9. In the past year, have you taken money from someone you live with, without their knowing, to gamble?
10. In the past year, have you stolen money from outside the family, or shoplifted, to gamble?
11. Have you fallen out with members of your family, or close friends, because of your gambling behavior?
12. In the past year, have you missed school to participate in gambling experiences (5 times or more)?
13. In the past year, have you gone to someone for help with a serious money worry caused by participation in
gambling activities?
If you answered “yes” to four or more of the questions in the quiz, you may have a gambling problem.
Lesson Plans on Gambling Behavior
For Teachers:
Some Indicators of a Possible Gambling Problem in Students:
1. Unexplained absences from school.
2. Sudden drop in grades.
3. Change of personality (e.g., irritability, impatience, criticism or sarcasm).
4. Large amounts of money in student’s possession; bragging about winning at gambling.
5. Does the student have an unusual interest in newspapers, magazines or periodicals having to do with sports or horse racing?
6. Intense interest in gambling conversations.
7. Exaggerated display of money or other material possessions (e.g., cars, clothes, jewelry).
8. Change in behavior (e.g., school absences, behavior problems).
9. Gambling language in his or her conversation (e.g., five-timer, ten-timer, bookie, loan shark, point spread, underdog or favorite).
10. Exaggerated use of the word “bet” in his or her vocabulary.
If you suspect that a student has a gambling problem, direct him or her to a counselor or other assistance.
Adapted by the Kentucky Council on Compulsive Gambling from material supplied by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New
Jersey.
KYCCG helpline: 1-800-GAMBLER
Lesson Plans on Gambling Behavior
For Parents:
Some Indicators of a Possible Gambling Problem among Youth:
1. Unexplained need for money.
2. Missing money or valuables from your home.
3. Weekly or daily card game in youth’s room.
4. Truancy from school.
5. Unusual time spent watching sports on TV.
6. Does the youth have an unusual interest in newspapers, magazines and periodicals having to do with sports or
horse racing?
7. Large amounts of money in his or her possession.
8. Boasting about winnings.
9. Intense interest in gambling conversations.
10. Unaccountable explanation for new items of value in their possession (e.g., jewelry, clothes).
11. Several calls to sports phone lines on telephone bill.
12. Change of personality (e.g., irritability, impatience, criticism or sarcasm).
13. Unaccountable time away from home.
If you suspect that a student has a gambling problem, direct him or her to a counselor or other assistance.
Adapted by the Kentucky Council on Compulsive Gambling from material supplied by the Council on Compulsive
Gambling of New Jersey.
KYCCG helpline: 1-800-GAMBLER