18 July 2003

The Future is rolling a Snake Eyes

Well, they can't get jobs, but at least they can gamble!
America's teenagers are having a hard time finding summer jobs, but not having a hard time at all finding ways to gamble. A story in the New York Times says that teens are facing stiff competition for jobs for obvious reasons -- the bad economy. A separate story in the Boston Globe says that studies show that more than 30% of high school students gamble, and that the ways they can throw their money away have increased exponentially. With small-time rackets, the internet and legal gambling like casinos, racetracks and lotteries, teens are surrounded by gambling options. The same studies claim that teen gamblers are more likely than other students to smoke, drink and drug. Yet many parents react the way you might expect them to: "Thank God, it's just gambling."
-Countdown staff
blog comments powered by Disqus