One-third of Oregon teens play free casino-type games online, according to the state Department of Human Services. The games may be prepping them — and teenagers across the nation — for the real thing.
“Teens feel (they) are smarter than everybody else, and invincible," said Jeffrey Derevensky, director of the International Center for Youth Gambling Problems at McGill University in Montreal. "Many of these Internet wagering sites are using the same graphics and the same video-game technology that these kids have grown up on.”
Derevensky said many teens will graduate to the real thing, which can lead to serious problems.
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Adolescents are the largest and most vulnerable population addicted to gambling.
