Mental Health Professionals Are Asking for Help to Overcome Young People’s Online Gambling Addiction

Added: December 12, 2013

Mental health professionals in Australia have recently asked for help with tackling the growing problem of online gambling addiction in young people. The problem has been caused by a number of things, say these mental health workers.

Firstly, the increased usage of mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets, with many online casino operators offering mobile versions of their online casino games, has made online gambling so much more accessible to young people, and in a way that is not easily monitored by parents.

Interestingly enough, it seems that boys are the most prone to online gambling addiction in Australia, with girls much more likely to become addicted to social networking sites such as Facebook. It also seems to be young people from the rural areas of Australia that are more prone to online gambling addiction say mental health workers.

It is said that the online gambling addiction itself is damaging enough, but young people who play too long at an online casino are likely to develop other mental health issues. This includes low self-esteem, losing the ability to communicate properly, due to spend so many hours online, and generally facing a hard time in overcoming these problems.

The problem is often exacerbated by young people first becoming involved with online gaming, and then moving in to online gambling as they discover online casino sites. One mental health worker in Australia has said that, "And then what can happen from an addiction to gaming, online gaming, can actually turn into an addiction to gambling as they grow older. So we can sort of predict some patterns and outcomes that can happen as a result."

It has also been said that young people confront a difficult problem when trying to confront their online gambling addiction, even if they recognize it as a problem. This is because parents quite often do not understand the issue, with no real concept of just how much time young people will often spend online, and the particular dangers it represents.

Of course, online casino sites in Australia are not supposed to offer online gambling services to people under 18 years of age. In reality, it is quite easy for a young person to register with an online casino sites using a fake identity, or even the identity of one of their parents, and gain access to online casino games in this way.