Independent Reviews:
Young People Now magazine
When you think about young people and addiction, what images come to mind? The spotty heroin addict? Smokers? Gambling might not figure in our thoughts, but some 73 per cent of 12 to 15 year olds have gambled and three to four per cent have a problem with their gambling behaviour.
Just another Game is Tacade's resource pack aimed at informal educators of 13 to 19 year olds and comprises a handbook of exercises and materials, scenario cards and a CD Rom.
The materials are grouped around 12 sessions, with several activities per session to explore issues including "What do you know about gambling?" "Have you got a problem" and also looking at young people's main gambling methods - fruit machines, internet gambling and the Lottery. The exercises are clear, the activities suitably varied and the support materials will appeal to young people. There is a collection of material that would make level one Open College Network accreditation.
The final section includes background papers with research evidence, guidelines about spotting problem gambling and a useful sheet aimed at parents.
Although there is a clear focus on the potential risks and downsides to gambling, the activities enable young people to explore the issue and come to their own conclusions. None of the big stick "Thou shalt not ..." here.
Does this raise awareness about a hidden problem? Yes. Is it an easy way of raising the issue in an attractive, well researched and tested set of materials? Certainly. However, as with any resoruce, it is just a tool to enable a good worker to stimulate ideas and actions - but it is a high-quality tool. And strongly in its favour is that it is free.
Reviewed by Simon Beard, Development Officer - Health, at The National Youth Agency
SecEd
High stakes - 29 Nov 2007
With new laws meaning that more high-stakes gambling machines could soon be available on the high street, gambling education is becoming more important in PSHE and citizenship. Dr Carolyn Downs looks at what resources are out there to help.
Dr Carolyn Downs
The Gambling Act (2005) was fully implemented in September. Along with the majority of the country, many teachers were thinking in terms of a super casino in Manchester, but as this may not go ahead now, gambling has slipped off the radar somewhat.
However, the Gambling Act actually deals with many more issues than just allowing a super casino. As a result of this legislation there are now many more high-stakes gambling machines available on the high street, and although the super casino might not happen, almost 100 other new casinos will definitely be opened as planned.
In addition, gambling can be advertised on terrestrial television for the first time and internet and other forms of remote gambling are becoming more popular.
All of these are issues that will impact on young people’s perception of gambling and increase the availability of gambling products in environments that young people can easily access, such as cyber-space.
Research among young gamblers has found that types of gambling with rapid rates of play (such as slot machines and internet games) and regular “near-win” features are especially attractive and addictive to this group.
These types of gambling have the greatest impact on boys and young men aged between 13 and 25. The new types of high jackpot machines, made more widely available under the new legislation, offer this type of play and now account for about 40 per cent of the takings in many bookmakers’ outlets.
However, more recent research into internet gambling shows that increasing numbers of younger women are turning to this type of gambling, suggesting that both boys and girls need to be educated about the risks associated with many different types of gambling activity.
Gambling addiction is often labelled the “hidden addiction”, as visible symptoms are difficult to spot. Teachers need to be aware that problem gambling rates are higher among young people than in the general population with about three per cent of those aged 16 to 25 being classified as problem gamblers.
Problem gambling can cause a range of problems that impact on a young person’s school and home life.Young people with such a problem are often short of money and may steal to fund their habit. They become moody and withdrawn and may spend long hours away from previous friends.
Teachers of PSHE and citizenship who currently educate young people about drugs, alcohol and tobacco, should consider whether they can usefully extend this teaching to include gambling issues.
In addition to being taught alongside related substance misuse topics, gambling education can usefully be incorporated into teaching about financial matters, a topic that has recently risen up the PSHE agenda.
The problem for many teachers is where to start with gambling education. There is limited time for PSHE and citizenship in the curriculum and gambling is a vast subject about which teachers receive no training and may have very little knowledge. However, the recent release of two free packs of gambling education material is a step in the right direction.
You Bet, a pack aimed at 11 to 16-year-olds, comes with a CD-Rom containing all the resources and an overview of gambling research. The PowerPoint overview would make a useful start to a PSHE training session for non-specialist teachers involved in delivering lessons on gambling. As a starting point for confused teachers there is also a printed briefing section that covers the main issues.
Just another Game? – a pack aimed at 13 to 19-year-olds – is designed to be used in youth group settings. However, many of the resources, especially the photo-cards, would be extremely useful in schools.
Currently both packs are available on request and so it makes sense to get the two and mix-and-match the resources to suit the needs of the children being taught.
The key stage 3 and 4 pack has 18 lesson outlines, all of which include suggested learning outcomes and links to the citizenship curriculum and PSHE education framework. Clearly most schools are not going to have time to make use of the entire pack, but many of the lesson ideas work on a stand-alone basis so it is possible to create an effective scheme of work over a term, either based around dangerous behaviours or financial education, which includes gambling education as a key element.
Where the emphasis is on teaching financial management at key stage 3, then the topics suggested in the pack might need some adaptation as all of the finance-related lessons have been designed for key stage 4 and are text-heavy. For example, the lesson “Gambling: The Real Winners” has a wealth of useful facts but these are presented in a format that would be difficult for some pupils to access even at key stage 4.
The solution here would be to divide the class into three or six smaller groups. Then, by cutting the handout into the three clearly defined sections the small groups of students can be given a more manageable piece of text to work with. The set of questions that relate to the text can also be divided into three. If the small groups each work on a piece of text and related set of questions they can report back to the whole class so that findings are shared.
The lesson “Managing the Money” is a more general approach to budgeting that fits in well with the new emphasis on financial management as part of PSHE.
However, teachers might want to emphasise the need to include money spent on gambling under the heading leisure spending, and stress that this includes items like lottery tickets.
Another lesson in the pack that can be developed for use in a finance-related scheme of work is an adaptation of the “Read All About It” lesson (also in the key stage 4 section, but perfectly useable at key stage 3).
The photocopiable headlines include many references to money won or lost, and they also raise ethical issues about gambling. In addition to the headlines in the resource, the young people will have heard about lottery winners. Asking whether lottery winners who have been in prison should be able to keep the prize often raises some interesting opinions.
Young people may not have thought beyond the headlines before, but when it is pointed out to them that the lottery is a game of chance, and that ex-criminals or people considered morally reprehensible are as likely to win as anyone else they often develop more considered opinions about gambling.
After an activity like this, the headlines in the pack can be used to generate answers to such questions as: “Is it realistic to expect a gambling win?” “Is it right to advertise gambling?” “Is it okay to lose money gambling if you are rich?” Or even: “Should parents prosecute their own children for stealing from them?”
Once the children have thought about the issues, a range of activities open up, including class debates, hot-seating, role-play, story-boarding and journalism.
Teachers need to be aware of the potential dangers posed by gambling to young people. Apart from the more obvious routes into gambling, such as the local arcades, betting shops and internet gambling sites, social networking sites, such as Facebook, have many groups dedicated to gambling. These networks often provide a backdoor into gambling sites, offering free-plays and other inducements.
Gambling awareness education is urgently required to help prevent some of the harms associated with gambling. However, if teachers find that young people are having difficulties with gambling then the two resources both contain useful advice and information on support services.
- Dr Carolyn Downs is a research fellow with the Research Institute for Health and Social Change at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Key points
- Create themed groups of lessons around gambling, concentrate on ethics, odds, money or risky behaviour for example.
- Try linking gambling education in with drugs or alcohol education.
- If a student has a problem with gambling direct them to the sources of help listed in the resources.
Further information
Contact TACADE on 0161 836 6850 for free resources
