Sizing Up A Gambling Legal Age Requirement

There is cause for worldwide alarm on the growing incidence of adolescence or even childhood gambling. And this has all to do with online gaming and its accessibility to the underage. But the sad thing is that setting a legal age for gambling is never enough.

There are various legal age limits for gambling. Most find it safe to allow people 21 years of age and up to gamble. Some think 18 years old is old enough. Setting an age limit, many believe, safeguards the young against compulsive gambling that is now rampant worldwide, especially with online gambling. Cause-oriented groups and parents are beginning to realize the seriousness of the problem.

But many are also beginning to realize that setting age limits through law does not check underage involvement in gaming but sometimes even rouses their curiosity on the matter. The issue, instead of being contained, becomes even more promoted. Moreover, outlawing underage gaming can even give it appeal to adventurous young people. Since a set legal age for gambling does not stop the young from engaging in it, some feel that outlawing it only exposes the youth early to doing illegal things.

A legal age for gambling through law is good but we need more than this to address this worldwide problem. Some age verification process online have been tried but these are easily surmounted by simply assuming false identification. Kids can easily use their parents' ID details and feed these online to gain access to a website to gamble.

Information on the prevalence of youth gambling in the US and Europe is astounding. And authorities seem helpless in monitoring and regulating it. Studies show that some parents are even proud to take their kids along when they visit casinos for a gamble. The alarming thing is that some studies say early exposure to gaming can lead to future compulsive gambling.

Some experts even maintain that addiction to gamble can be traced from family histories and even suggest that it may be genetic in nature. But what's definite is that there is a link between gaming and other addictive vices. This is the worst scenario that authorities everywhere fear.

In all these findings, one thing is obvious�a set legal age for gambling is not enough to control the situation. Some sectors strongly point out that realistic management of underage gaming should start at home.

A legal age for gambling is a good start but if this is all we have this move can be as good as useless.