Aug 7, 2009 by Chad
What Kids And Criminals Have In Common
There’s a place where you’ll find both kids and criminals: online casinos.
Federal prosecutors just indicted a Canadian resident on charges of bank fraud, money laundering and illegal gambling crimes, allegedly related to illegally processing more than $350 million for Internet gambling operations. Crime and corruption are no strangers to gambling, but for parents who doubt their children would ever engage in online gambling, think again.
Some may recall the story of Greg Hogan, Sophomore Class President at Lehigh University, who became addicted to online gambling and turned criminal to support his new-found vice. More recently, a South African dad was shocked to find that his 17-year-old son had lost R30,000 ($3,743 USD) by gambling only two hours online.
In Canada, where Internet gambling has been legalized, researcher Dr. Derevensky of McGill University finds that teens and “tweens” are logging onto Web-based casinos in huge numbers and little is being done to address the problem.
“There’s a lack of general awareness that gambling can become a problem amongst teens,” says Derevensky. Rates of problem gambling are two to three times higher in adolescents than adults, and many addicted adults began gambling between the ages of 10 and 13.
Canadian minors virtually have unrestricted access to online casinos. Teens lie about their age by checking a box that “confirms” they are 18. Using the “honesty policy” for gambling? Deception and exploitation are king. Internet gambling: dangerous playground for kids and criminals.
