Kids Down Under Getting Hooked On Poker

Written by Nigel

Here’s the latest bit of news from Australia – one in five high school kids is playing card games.  A large number of these kids favor Texas Hold ‘Em Poker.  This can be attributed largely to media exposure such as Casino Royale and the World Series of Poker.  So what is the issue here?

For some concerned people, there is the fear that the youngster might fall into the trap of unregulated gambling and find themselves in financial trouble.  “They play poker with a mate over a six pack and say ‘This is easy, I’m good at this’,” Uniting Care’s Mark Henley said. “Then they see celebrity poker and the next thing you know they’re on dodgycasino@vanuatu.com and they’re in a bit of financial strife.”

It seems that people are getting stirred up in Australia about this potential problem.  What do I think about this?  I say it is a good thing that poker is getting more popular, whichever country it is.  I do have to agree, however, that unregulated gambling might do more damage than good.  I love poker – with or without money.  Then again, I am at least a decade older than those high school kids and I have my own means of income.  Those kids need to learn that poker does not have to be all about money. That is, at least until they gain some measure of control.  I suppose this would fall under the parents’ area of responsibility.  It is up to instill values in their kids.