Deseret News (Salt Lake City): Stamp out kiddie gambling

America embraces the notion of "risk and reward." Those brave enough to head west could find gold, land and peace of mind -- if they could weather the pitfalls. Those creating companies can still reap windfalls by working hard and putting their money where their motivation is.

The attitude seeps into the literature. "If you love life, risk it," wrote James Dickey, author of "Deliverance."

Problems arise, however, when the nation's youth -- kids who lack the experience and brain power to see the world clearly -- embrace the attitude. They at times risk their health and safety in cars, at bars and in their pastimes.

Now they've found a new game to play: casino-style gambling.

According to addiction treatment centers around the country, where once it was rare to see clients younger than age 18, now grade- school age kids are showing up for help. Research shows that 70 percent of children between the ages of 10 and 17 have gambled in the past year -- up 45 percent from 1988. And most of that is happening under their parents' noses. The Internet offers thousands of choices for anyone willing to put money on the line. Meanwhile, parents who see their children playing a game on the computer often assume it must be better than having them out wandering the street.

Not always. Not if the game involves serious amounts of cash and the child's mental health. And with adults getting addicted in record numbers to the thrill of risking, winning and losing, children are quickly following suit. Many of them don't stand a chance. Teenagers are three times more likely than adults to be unable to stop rolling the dice. They are playing a dangerous game, and losing in record numbers.

Those who man the switchboards and boardrooms of addiction treatment facilities are currently pressing Congress to get involved. We urge them to keep pressing. Along with Congress, parents, peers, teachers and civic leaders should also look for ways to intervene.

With more than a dozen gambling shows on cable television each week, and with casinos cropping up like supermarkets and glitzy ads for Las Vegas and other gambling destinations pulling on young hearts, intervention will not be easy.

It is time to mount a public service announcement campaign about the ills of gambling, just as there are announcements about drugs and alcohol. Any establishment that allows children to gamble should be shamed and shut down.

It's time kids learned that when playing poker, dice or cards, they may be wagering much more than a handful of quarters.