Addicted Teenagers : Trapped in Illegal Gambling
Addicted Teenagers : Trapped in Illegal Gambling
  • Kim Hyeon-seo (ST Cub-Reporter)
  • 승인 2024.09.19 17:32
  • 댓글 0
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There is a growing trend that teenagers are now engaging in illegal gambling due to its easy accessibility and addictive nature. The age at which they first encounter gambling is also getting younger, inevitably affecting them negatively. Let’s examine the issue of youth gambling and the potential solutions to such problem......Ed

 

Korea Gambling Problem Prevention and
Treatment Center in 2022

     Recently, illegal gambling among teenagers has emerged as a serious social problem. Online gambling sites have become prominent due to the widespread use of smartphones, which makes it easier for teenagers to access them. The percentage of teenagers exposed to gambling is increasing every year, and they are starting to be exposed at a younger age every year as well. According to a survey by the Korea Gambling Problem Prevention and Treatment Center in 2022, 38.8% of teenagers answered that they have experienced gambling, and the average age of first experience with gambling is 11.3 years old.

     So many teenagers gamble because of easy access and gambling’s addictive nature. Online gambling based on the Internet is mainly through illegal webtoons and illegal OTT (over-the-top) sites. Online gambling is just like mobile games. It does not require age verification, so teenagers approach it without caution. Moreover, it is said that online gambling is easily spread in teenagers’ peer relationships, and acts as a kind of ‘culture’ and ‘play.’ Because of these characteristics, the general managers who run gambling sites target and market to teenagers, exacerbating the problem of teenaged gambling.

     The type of gambling that teenagers mostly do involves games in which the outcome is determined in a short period. It is said that games that provide strong stimulation in such a short period hurt teenagers. If teenagers are stimulated by gambling when their brains are not yet mature, their dopamine system will be damaged. They will not be able to control their impulses properly, and withdrawal symptoms will occur. For this reason, gambling experienced in adolescence can lead to gambling even in adulthood.

    Gambling is illegal, and even teenagers are subject to punishment if they gamble. However, teenagers often do not recognize it as a crime, but rather as a game. The problem with it is that teenagers’ gambling can lead to bigger crimes. Online gambling is structured in a way in which gamblers tend to lose money as the number of bets increases. Thus, teenagers who are addicted to gambling take out illegal loans to gamble further, and they also get involved in other crimes to pay off such gambling debt. They commit illegal acts, such as second-hand trading fraud or private loans, or commit secondary crimes such as extortion, prostitution, and school violence.

     What should we do to solve this youth gambling problem? Prevention should be given priority because gambling can be easily addictive once someone starts getting into it. First, we must make sure that teenagers recognize that online gambling is not just a game, but it is illegal and it is a problem. We must strengthen legal regulations so that the youth cannot easily access illegal gambling sites, and make social efforts to block the root of illegal gambling by blocking fake bank accounts. Furthermore, we must expand support for professional counseling and treatment programs for the youth addicted to gambling, and establish a system where they can receive help from society. Illegal gambling by teenagers is not simply a personal problem, but a problem for the entire society. It is time that we all pay attention to the youth gambling problem, and seek solutions to stop it.

 

Kim Hyeon-seo (ST Cub-Reporter)

hyeonseo@soongsil.ac.kr

 


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