Poker Not All Play: UA Researcher Offers Tips on When a Game Becomes an Obsession

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Nathan Williams

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Americans have always loved to gamble. Today, television and high-speed Internet have made games of chance, particularly poker, even more popular, and millions of Americans view gambling as an innocent and acceptable form of entertainment. Many parents allow their children to visit gambling Web sites and watch hours of programs such as ESPN’s World Series of Poker.

Is gambling innocent entertainment or a dangerous activity, and should parents and teachers worry about youngsters’ interest in gambling? As innocent as children’s participation in gambling may seem, adults should be concerned, says Nathan Williams, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Arkansas. A clinical psychologist, Williams has investigated and treated disorders such as anxiety, compulsive behavior and addiction.

Williams finds several problematic and disturbing elements within the current gambling obsession, and says these elements could quickly lead unsupervised children and adolescents to unhealthy, even addictive behavior. By reinforcing the message that there are only positive consequences to gambling, Web sites and television shows desensitize people to the potential dangers associated with games of chance, Williams said.

Because virtually everyone is gambling online with fake or real money and so many people are watching the television programs, parents falsely assume that gambling is an innocuous hobby without negative consequences. Viewers see one winner take home $5 million, but they do not see the other 800 participants who lost $10,000 each.

“The more we are exposed to gambling, or any other vice, without seeing its negative consequences, the more we think it is normal,” Williams said. “We don’t see the negative consequences of gambling.”   

The Internet is also problematic, Williams said, because it offers several features that make it easy for a child to participate in unhealthy and addictive gambling. Because the Internet is a relatively anonymous and virtual social environment, players do not experience the same kind of social pressure they feel when playing at a table with a small group of people.

“On the Internet, gambling takes place on a symbolic level,” Williams said. “The anonymity reduces real-life costs for the individual. Because the player has no social audience, it’s easier for him to have a skewed perception of social norms, as well as an inaccurate perception about the probability of winning a hand.”

Beyond the more obvious signs such as stealing or pawning possessions, there are many behaviors that indicate a child or adolescent is participating in unhealthy behavior. Williams said a child visiting a gambling Web site for more than one hour is excessive.

“That’s an absolute red flag that it’s unhealthy behavior,” he said.

Children may exhibit a significant change in their pattern of activities or interest in hobbies. These children no longer want to play organized sports or eat out with their families. Children who are preoccupied with past gambling episodes or obsessed with celebrity poker players are also vulnerable to unhealthy behavior online.

But the biggest red flag of unhealthy behavior is anger and irritability children exhibit when they are unsuccessful at stopping the behavior or are blocked by parents from participating in online gambling. Williams said this behavior indicates addiction.

To avoid unhealthy behavior, Williams suggested parents and teachers talk to children about the negative consequences of gambling, the true value of money, and the importance of a good work ethic. This latter discussion helps children understand that money doesn’t come easy. Williams also recommended that parents limit children’s exposure to gambling on television and carefully monitor online behavior. He says some families may benefit by moving computers to public spaces within their homes.