However, this is not the case. Gambling is also a concern among adolescents, especially in college, and is often linked to poor performance in school, heavy alcohol consumption, and drug use. Internet gaming is very easy to get access to because of its anonymity and because of how convenient it is. Because of this, it is considered one of the most dangerous types of gambling. It also offers an escape from the real world and a lot of fulfillment, which is why adolescents find it so tempting. The prevalence of problem gambling among adolescents has been shown to be 2–4 times that of adults. Recent Canadian studies conducted with large community samples have estimated that 4–8% of adolescents currently have a severe gambling problem(cite). Believe or not, gambling is often taught or started at a young age. Research shows that gambling in children start as early as elementary years and gradually matures because of the children eventually having access to money and technology. Gambling is commonly started with family. For example, purchasing lottery tickets, playing cards, and even playing bingo in hopes of winning money. As a child grows up, they tend to steer towards doing these activities with their peers. I feel as though a person’s teen years is a dangerous time to gamble with his or her peers. Peer pressure could influence one to engage in gambling activities and lead them in the wrong direction. A …show more content…
This, however, is slowly changing. The number of women that are at risk of becoming problem gamblers, is increasing. In fact, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling, among problem gamblers ages 45 to 64, women outnumber men (cite). In a woman’s eyes, it is important that they escape from their problems. For example, abusive relationships, depression, anxiety, etc. Women often hide their gambling problem from other because of the availability of it online and it can even be unnoticed by family members. Eventually, however, they cannot hide it for too long because of potential financial or even legal trouble. This can lead to change in family relationships and even losing a home. Internet gaming could potentially be the cause of a loss of trust and good relationships with friends and loved ones, and because of how addictive they are. By playing these online games, they encourage women to engage in such repetitive behaviors and cause them to become unaware to everything around them at the moment. Normally, when we think about women, we tend to give them the role of being that nurturing and caring figure. It is not often that you think of the term ‘addiction’ and you automatically think of a woman. In other words, it is easier to portray a man having an addiction than it is a woman. Men and women have been found to contrast in how much time they spend gambling and the types