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Pathological gambling (PG) is commonly referred to as a "hidden"
addiction. While in recent years, PG in adults has been
recognized as an addiction that can be diagnosed and treated, PG
among youth remains relatively unrecognized. Yet, a national
survey indicates that the rate of pathological gambling in youth
is higher than that in adults (Welte, 2002), possibly as
distinct as 5% versus 1%, respectively (NCPG). And as in adults,
gambling in children and adolescents has been linked to higher
rates of problem behaviors, including substance abuse, violence,
stealing and risky sexual behaviors (NCPG). "Gambling in kids
could very well be the gateway behavior that we used to believe
marijuana was," Keith Whyte recently told CABL. "Scattered
studies and emerging evidence suggest that early onset of
gambling should be a big indicator for people to look for
additional problems." Keith Whyte is the execu