Gambling News by Gambling Headquarters

All in the name of responsible gambling, students at the McMaster University campus got a chance yesterday to win two $100 certificates or a grand prize of a $1,500 scholarship. Staff of the nonprofit Responsible Gambling Council buttonholed students and warned them of the problem signs of gambling as they handed out draw ballots at the Mohawk College Institute of Applied Health Sciences at the Mac campus. There's a worrying increase in the number of young people 18 to 24 trying to win big at poker and online gambling and the council wants them to know where and how they can get help. A recent survey indicated 6.9 per cent of young people experienced moderate to severe gambling problems. It found participation in online poker among 18-24 year olds rose from 1.4 per cent in 2001 to 5.5 per cent by 2005, an increase of almost 400 per cent. So strategically placed across from a Tim Hortons kiosk at the health sciences building, the council spread its message. The group will visit about 30 university and college campuses in the months ahead as part of a Know the Score campaign. In addition, Ontario will spend $2 million on a new public awareness campaign on youth gambling. The public awareness campaign, similar to another one last year by the council, will run through the winter months. A TV ad last year featured a young man who started cutting off contact from friends because he became addicted to online gambling. "Young people see the glamourization of gambling and they need to hear the other side," said council CEO John Kelly. "The vast majority of people who gamble are not ... a whiz kid who made a lot of money. "We need to get out there with the message this can be recreation or it can be something that can get you into a lot of trouble. "They need to have a realistic understanding of your chances of winning and losing."