Help students avoid gambling harm
This article is a paid contribution to from Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (VGRF).
The recent triennial Australian Secondary Students Alcohol and Drugs Survey (ASSAD) 2017 asked 3,746 Victorian students aged 12–17 about their attitudes to gambling.
Unfortunately, this research indicates gambling amongst young people is on the rise, with almost one in three students admitting to gambling, in particular, older students and males.
Key findings on underage gambling
- Among those who had gambled, horse or dog racing was most reported (54 per cent).
- Six per cent of students had gambled in the past month. Of these students, 13 per cent were classified as ‘problem gamblers’ (at high risk of experiencing harm from gambling).
- Recent gambling was linked to tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use, and also to students reporting a mental health condition.
- Thirty-five per cent of students knew someone who gambled, and 18 per cent said someone in their household had gambled in the past month.
- Seventy-three per cent of students had been exposed to gambling ads on TV in the past month. More than a third were also aware of ads on radio, sporting scoreboards, websites or social media.
- When asked about gambling in the future, 30 per cent of males and 17 per cent of females said they would ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ gamble.
- This study confirms the relationship between student gambling and social influences, exposure to gambling environments and advertising.
Help students avoid gambling harm
To reduce these statistics, ACHPER Victoria is very proud to be collaborating with the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (VRGF) to develop a teaching resource that will connect the VCE® Health and Human Development study design to help address this emerging youth health issue.
The free resource will be available in early 2021, targeting Area of Study 1 – ‘Youth Health and Wellbeing’, focusing on gambling and gaming as a youth health issue. The new resource will incorporate:
- Detailed lesson plans aligned to the VCE HHD Study Design – Unit 1 Area of Study 3
- Teacher and student resources including data, case studies, a content specific glossary and teaching PowerPoints
- Guidance on how to complete the Unit 1 Outcome 3 School Assessed Coursework (SAC) task, with flexibility for teachers to adapt this for other youth health issues.
Find out more
For those teachers interested in finding out more, please click here to register your interest to be contacted via email when the resource is available.
Also, as part of the VCE Conference on 19 February 2021, we are running an elective session on the resource for teachers to unpack the content in more detail and ask questions around implementation.