News

Increase in internet gambling among male youth

By Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania

April 18, 2011 1534

You don’t need to go to Vegas anymore to enjoy the thrill of gambling. Internet gambling sites are widely accessible and gaining popularity among America’s youth.

The National Annenberg Survey of Youth (NASY) has found that monthly use of online gambling sites shot up from 4.4% in 2008 to 16.0% in 2010 among college age male youth.

Dan Romer, director of the Annenberg Adolescent Communication Institute that conducts the annual survey, said,“The dramatic increase in use of online gambling by college-age male youth indicates that payment restrictions on such sites are no longer a barrier to young people.”

Meanwhile, symptoms of problem gambling among male youth have declined, going from 12.1% in 2008 to 2.9% in 2010.

Click here to learn more about the survey and its findings.

Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania

The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania has been the premier communication policy center in the country since its founding in 1993. By conducting and releasing research, staging conferences and hosting policy discussions, its scholars have addressed the role of communication in politics, adolescent behavior, child development, health care, civics and mental health, among other important arenas. The Center’s researchers have drafted materials that helped policy-makers, journalists, scholars, constituent groups and the general public better understand the role that media play in their lives and the life of the nation. The Policy Center maintains offices in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

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Published

April 18, 2011