Study finds parental behaviour a factor in teen gambling rates

According to the Australia Institute, 600,000 Australian teens below the age of 18 gamble per year and researchers from CQUniversity’s Appleton Institute and Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory sought parents’ perspectives.

The research showed examples of the parental facilitation of gambling, including behaviours at home that endorsed or encouraged the practice. “These are things like parents talking about their own gambling wins, asking their teenager to pick numbers for the Lotto or Keno,” author Cassy Dittman said. “It was even things like putting on a bet for their teenager for sports or racing events, or even allowing the teenagers to use their own online account to gamble, which has been a relatively common occurrence.”

Australia Institute research manager Morgan Harrington said parental attitudes indicated a “broader normalisation” of gambling in Australia, especially when Australia has the world’s most prolific gamblers that lose $35 billion a year, yet parents were more concerned about bullying, mental health concerns and substance abuse issues than gambling.

A spokesperson for the Department of Social Services said the government had worked with state and territory governments to introduce measures that protect children and young people.