Gamble bug bites youths

AUSTRALIA is at risk of raising a generation of gambling addicts, with boys under 12 punting on sports, teenagers setting up multiple betting accounts and growing numbers of young men under 35 gambling almost around the clock, including at work.

A report by the Australian Institute of Family Studies and Australian Gambling Research Centre reveals kids have little difficulty setting up sports betting accounts and can quickly become hooked on the thrill of the punt.

Nearly a quarter of sports gamblers surveyed for the study said they had started gambling under the legal age of 18, with 8 per cent saying they started at 16 and some revealing they started before 12.

Another quarter had gone from placing their first bet to betting regularly within 12 months and a shocking 70 per cent of the young men were found to be at risk of, or already experiencing, gambling harm.

Researcher Rebecca Jenkinson said at least half of the young men surveyed had an average of six betting accounts and were punting on up to nine different sports.

The most popular sports were AFL, horse racing, English Premier League soccer and NBA basketball, and more than 90 per cent used phone apps to bet.

“These are highly educated young guys who are employed and securely accommodated,” Dr Jenkinson said.

“What they said was ‘I can do it 24 hours a day, sitting on my couch, sitting on the train, at work’ … and around half said they were gambling at work.”