Wilcox, What advice would you give to a teenager who loves gambling? Thank you, Janice I would be happy to respond to any questions...even if it is just that one :) Over ninety percent of teenagers who are drawn to gambling are boys. I will assume the teenager in question is also one? There are many things which can foster an early appeal of gambling, beyond a family member or peer being "into" the same realm: 1)The word "insecurity" is one of the broadest ones, however with this subject it is a starting point. Something in one's psyche may be searching for the security which it is believed extra money would provide. For myself, this desired money buffer was at least partly to make up for the love I felt missing from my father. As well, the rules of the gambling world - unlike our emotional world or the "rules" of society or the universe - are much simpler, as are the results of our bets (we either win or lose, and we know it immediately.) 2) Even if one is analytical, on one's emotional plane, gambling can be like a test of whether God is on your side - are the Fates with you or against you? (This applies whether one literally has a faith or not.) The gambler, while ostensibly confident, secretly believes fate is against him and ultimate gambling losses will confirm this. In fact, until or if this inner resignation is dealt with the individual will find ways to lose even despite considerable gambling skill. 3) While betting outcomes have a certain finality on a case-by-case basis, the period of UNcertainty after a bet has been made and before an outcome...THIS period often mirrors at least an early childhood period having an emotional background of confusion and tension. In other words, there are classic elements of recreating what is "comfortable and familiar" even if obviously unhealthy. 4) From a practical standpoint, meeting people at Gambler's Anonymous programs as a teenager is rarely helpful. The boy is likely to fancy himself smarter than the others, whether this is accurate or not, and to have difficulty relating to a predominately older crowd. 5) If you can afford it, counseling CAN be effective, but it is a rare therapist who understands gambling well. You do not want someone who is too preachy or too accepting, either. You would have to pre-screen therapists yourself. 6) Having been a professional backgammon player, sports bettor and options trader, I have engaged with the gamut of gamblers, both the rare successful ones and all the rest. As an adult, some people are in fact casual gamblers in terms of time spent and money risked. HOWEVER, those who begin as teenagers are 90% to be degenerate gamblers IF they continue gambling through their lives, and less than 1% to emerge as a professional gambler. The life of a professional gambler is a tad more accepted by the general population than in previous generations, but it remains a tremendous strain on most prospective girlfriends or wives. I wouldn't revise anything of my particular life journey, but I also would not recommend a gambling career for anyone. Just on the financial end, if someone can make $150,000 a year as a gambler, it is likely they are clever enough to make similar or greater income in some more mainstream professions. And emotionally, they will feel less alienated, paranoid, constantly calculating, or like a roller coaster (resulting from the ongoing insecurity of one's finances.) 7)Gambler's Anon. is a wonderful organization and has helped many people. However, for a young person, there is a third reason why it tends not to be particularly effective. 12-step programs are most effective when someone has "bottomed-out." Owing money, lying, ditching school and having your parents pissed off may be a teenager's "bottoming-out", but it is a far cry from what lows an adult can hit. 8)The life of a professional gambler is rarely glamorous. One may find a curious mystique to "The Cincinnati Kid" or "The Color of Money" or a certain sexy quality in "The Sting." James Bond movies often have one smooth gambling coup for 007. In my own case, I travelled to St.Moritz, Switzerland...Paris, Monte Carlo and Rio for highlights. Some backgammon tournaments are unique in their spectacular venues. Poker tournaments are now being played occasionally in more posh locales. But all of this is quite RARE. Not to mention the capital required to show up and play. Additionally, unless you can afford extra days, a real player will rarely find much time to truly take in wherever he is...you are playing your game and focussed on making money...it is incidental that you are in an amazing city. Beyond that, professionals are very HARD WORKERS at what they do. Their hours may be unusual, but the average work-week is long unless one can afford enormous stakes. A pro is constantly calculating, improving his game, working to find the best opportunities. It is a rare pro who does not "take his work home with him", thinking about prior or future situations while eating, driving, whatever. Even the very successful ones are often obsessive/addictive in their gambling despite having enough knowledge and discipline to be a winner. 9)A typical attack on a teenager with gambling tendencies by a parent: "You just want to avoid hard work. You want the easy money. Well, I've got news for you - life doesn't work that way." Etc, etc... This is an understandable reaction and there may be a measure of truth regarding the teenager's profile. However, unless this child only likes the idea of lotteries, slot machines, roulette, or things involving pure chance...the other forms of gambling can be intellectually stimulating and quite time-consuming, not only from the fantasizing standpoint. So while the above lecture may have some merit, in many cases it is largely off the mark, and I would refer you back to my other list for recognizing motivations - many of which are subconscious. 10)In some cases of addiction, there is a pre-existing chemical component. This is more obvious to look for in the case of alcohol or drugs...particularly the investigation of the mother's own tendencies in general with an emphasis on her period of pregnancy. Even in gambling, there CAN be a biological influence. Some people are "adrenalin junkies", constantly seeking high stimuli and trending toward sleep in the absence of such. What is sufficient to keep most of us awake and interested comes way short of the mark for these individuals. (As a metaphor, consider people with unusual metabolisms.) This type of person may be weaned from gambling only to substitute a new high adrenalin addiction.