ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, July 8, 1996 TAG: 9607080145
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
GAMBLING is reportedly the fastest-growing addiction among U.S. teen-agers today. An estimated 1.7 million youngsters, ages 13 to 17, may be addicts. This age group is betting as much as $1 billion a year.
We can't vouch for these figures. But with the tremendous increase in government-sponsored, government-promoted gambling, they don't seem far-fetched. Neither do warnings that compulsive gambling - with its attendant problems of family strain, bankruptcies, divorce, suicide, crime and drain on productivity - is spreading rapidly.
Who could doubt this, for example, as legalized lotteries, casinos and parimutuel betting on horse races begin to come ``on line'' electronically into thousands of private homes?
Gambling's sponsors, including the commonwealth of Virginia, stick to their story: It's harmless recreation, and benefits the public since it produces millions of dollars for government spending on worthwhile programs.
Harvey Markman of Virginia Beach sees it differently. He's a recovering gambling addict who knows the kind of pain the addiction has caused for him and others. A longtime anonymous activist for Gamblers Anonymous, he's now publicly launched a campaign to help those who get hooked by the ``insidious disease.''
Markman wants the state to print on the back of each state lottery ticket a 1-800 hot-line number for Gamblers Anonymous, which addicts can call for help when they realize they need it. It's a good idea. It wouldn't be a warning label, like on cigarette packages, that tries to discourage a habit because of potential risks.
It might serve, however, to remind the state that its lottery and assorted spin-off games are not completely harmless, that some players can be damaged psychologically and otherwise.
Perhaps not many fall into that category. But considering the huge sums that the state reaps from the lottery, it's reasonable that the state spend a modest amount to print tickets that direct those who need it to where they can get help.
State lawmakers themselves may want to keep that toll-free number handy. They may still be in denial, but it seems clear to others that the state's dependency on lottery revenues qualifies as an addiction.
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