According to several studies summarized in Youth Gambling International ⁱ gambling is the most popular high-risk activity among teenagers, involving 80% of teens. Their approach to prevention is three-fold:

• Increase knowledge concerning the nature and risks associated with gambling.
• Help modify their attitudes and erroneous ideas about gambling.
• Modify gambling behaviors in youth to assure responsible gambling behaviors.

Note: the Youth Gambling International website offers for sale "tools" for gambling prevention.

We need to change the focus from the "treatment of the dysfunctional" or "disease model" to a prevention model aimed at youth. While little has been done in the field of gambling prevention (there are several in development at the present time), there are ample successful models from the substance abuse literature to emulate (Baer, 1993; Baer, MacLean & Marlatt, 1998; Botvin, 1986; Shuckit, 2000; Winick & Larson, 1996).

Prevention models must incorporate:

• the need for awareness of the problem
• activities that increase knowledge about youth gambling problems
• programs to help modify and change the attitude that gambling is a harmless behavior
• the teaching of successful coping and adaptive skills that would prevent the development of problematic gambling
• the changing of inappropriate cognitions concerning the role of skill and luck, the illusion of control, and the misperception of the independence of events in gambling activities, and
• the identification, assessment, and referral of students whose gambling behaviour is indicative of being at risk. These programs should be school-based and incorporated at both elementary and secondary school levels.

Source: http://www.camh.net/egambling/issue2/feature/

ⁱ Youth Gambling International: Prevention. Copyright 2003