[Games of chance and gambling in adolescents and in adolescents-at-risk]

A number of studies have established that adolescents are attracted to games of chance and gambling, and have confirmed that excessive gambling is not a phenomenon of adulthood alone. In Quebec, the proportion of high school students who are struggling with gambling problems is estimated at 2.6% (Ladouceur, Boudreault, Jacques, & Vitaro, 1999). So far, few researchers have studied adolescent populations that are at greater risk of developing gambling problems. The present study was carried out among 104 adolescents in difficulty, ranging in age from 12 to 19 and served by the Centre jeunesse de Québec. It assesses the prevalence of excessive gambling and the problems associated with it. The results indicate that 92.3% of adolescents had bet at least once during the previous year and 40.4% bet every week. The prevalence of excessive gambling was established at 7.7%. Girls were found to gamble as frequently as boys and to experience as many gambling problems. In addition, habitual gambling was found to be associated with the consumption of psychotropic substances, delinquent behaviour and school absenteeism. The discussion puts the results obtained in perspective and emphasizes the need for establishing gambling prevention programs among at-risk youth.