London Free Press: News Section - Poker game set for kids should be folded, unplayed

Poker game set for kids should be folded, unplayed: "Poker game set for kids should be folded, unplayed" IAN GILLESPIE, Free Press Columnist Would you buy a toy bar for your child? You know, a little cocktail-mixing set that comes complete with a shot glass, shaker and ice bucket and lets kiddies learn how to mix screwdrivers, rusty nails and other highballs. Of course, they wouldn't use real alcohol. It would be just for fun, right? I don't think so. So why then is one of this year's hottest toys something called the Poker Table Top, a slick little poker-playing set that teaches tykes how to hold 'em and fold 'em? And why, in fact, has this gambling game been chosen by Today's Parent magazine as one of its top toys of the year? I think it's because a lot of us -- too many, it seems -- don't understand how devastating gambling can be. And how risky it is for youngsters. A recent Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre report puts it into perspective. According to the study, about 36 per cent of the approximately $5.7-billion spent on gambling in Ontario last year spilled from the pockets of about five per cent of Ontario's gamblers. Here's another statistic from the centre: About 80 per cent of adults and adolescents in Ontario gamble. And about one in every 21 of those people have problems with it. Government-sanctioned gambling, of course, benefits many. Locally, for instance, the slot machines at Western Fair have pumped more than $120 million into the local economy since they opened in 1998. That money has done a lot of good. But it's also wreaked havoc on problem gamblers and their families. Now, I'm not going to argue that just because some people can't control their gambling, nobody should be allowed to do it. Nor am I going to argue the slot machines at Western Fair are inherently evil, or that the people who work there are helping damage and destroy lives. The casino workers were hired to operate a betting facility -- they're not social workers. And, ultimately, it's the patrons who must take responsibility for their actions. But I think we have to do more to help people addicted to gambling. And that starts with the kids. "It's an invisible problem," says Bonnie Orvidas, problem gambling program co-ordinator at Addiction Services of Thames Valley. "And that's why gamblers can get into serious difficulty, because even the people who love them often don't know they're doing it." It's hard not to notice when somebody gets drunk. But we often don't see the signs of a gambling addiction. "If you drink too much, you're going to pass out or get sick or something," says Orvidas. "But with gambling, nothing's going to stop you. As long as you have access to credit cards . . . you can just keep on gambling." Surprisingly, Orvidas says she thinks the government is doing an adequate job of funding treatment and research of problem gambling. But she argues it's not putting enough money into prevention and awareness. "I just think people are uninformed," she says. When the local problem- gambling program started in 1997 (before the arrival of the slot machines), it treated 25 problem gamblers. Last year, the agency served 280 people. "People are losing their houses, they're going through their RSPs, parents are bailing their kids out and losing their life savings," says Orvidas. "We've got to do a better job of educating people." Particularly our kids. I admit I've wagered the odd loonie with my sons on a televised sporting contest. Orvidas says there's nothing wrong with that, as long as I don't make it a regular practice. And as long as I make it clear to my kids that betting won't make them rich. "You need to put it into perspective," she says, "so that kids know that most of the time, they lose." I think the odds are good that giving a poker set to a child is gambling with their future.