Warning from BTP admins: 'Gambling' at 13 until 18 or 21 is illegal in pretty much most of the world and this post would appear to be inviting such users (if there are any) to incriminate themselves, which raises concerns about the entire thing.

I would be very careful about responding to it..

Are you part of the wave of young poker players? Someone who uses Texas Hold' Em skills to earn cash for school or fun toys?

We're making a radio documentary on gambling among young people, and want to know how online poker's changed your life. If you're 13-24 years old, play for money at least once a week, and are willing to share your experience with us, please follow this link to our online form and tell us your story.

Thanks for your help!

Melody Ng
Public Insight Analyst
American RadioWorks

The link points to:
https://www.publicradio.org/application ... 56198796c3

I have a modified browser that gives me choices on what is dislayed when I visit a questionable link.

Their Privacy Policy:
http://americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org/privacy/

I would be very cautious.

wouldn't touch this with a 10ft. pole -- even for those 21+ folks -- unless I could remain completely anonymous (this is not as easy as it sounds).

I think it's great that you all look out for each other on this forum. That makes it a good community. I understand your concerns that my solicitation for people's stories might somehow get them into legal trouble. I've spoken with the documentary's producer who's published several stories on gambling among high school and college students (and is therefore familiar with the issue you raised), and this was his response:

"There should be no legal ramifications for those taking part. The BBC's [he works for the BBC] policy is only to use full names of interviewees if they are adults and if they are happy to speak publicly. I have no problem protecting people's identities, especially for a story like this, so long as there is a compelling reason for doing so. As for minors (under 18), we tend to only use first names."

He says, because of the sensitive nature of this topic of gambling, that he would definitely protect the identities of anyone who requested it -- minors or adults -- by using first names only, and even by disguising his or her voice if necessary. He would need to know the person's full name and verify that s/he is who s/he claims to be, but the full name would not be used in the documentary.

Please let me know if you have other concerns or questions. Otherwise, if you are 13-24, play online poker for money at least once a week, and would like to tell us about it, please click here:

https://www.publicradio.org/application ... 56198796c3

Thanks for your help!

Melody Ng
Public Insight Analyst
American RadioWorks

I posted a request last fall for people's experiences with online poker. We heard from high school and college students on both sides of the Atlantic who play online. Some told us they make enough to replace after-school and summer jobs. Most said their families and friends support their poker playing.

We used these insights (and BBC producer Mark Alden interviewed some people who responded) to produce our documentary on online gambling. It airs this week on public radio stations nationwide. You can listen to or read "Logging On and Losing Out" online at:

Yeah, I know. The title sounds negative. The overall message of the documentary is that gambling can be destructive to young people. But we also feature some folks who have financed college educations with online poker.

Thanks, again, for your help.

Best wishes,

Melody Ng

Read it - it is pretty negative and tries to claim that half young players are 'problem gamblers' - of the six articles 5 bang on about the dangers of poker..

Experts say the highs of gambling are addictive, like drugs. And with so many young people now playing poker, there's a real danger that large numbers of them will find themselves unable to stop.

Dan Romer runs the Annenberg Adolescent Risk Communication Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. It has carried out extensive research into youth gambling.

"Poker playing seems to have grown to the point where now you've got about 20 percent of young males, who are either in high school or in college, playing poker with their friends on a weekly basis," says Romer.

The numbers are stark. In his latest survey of playing habits, Dan Romer found that there are approximately 2.9 million young people between the ages of 14 and 22 who are gambling with cards on a weekly basis.

"This tells you that this is very large," says Romer. "And when we ask them about the problems they are having, about half of them are reporting that they're experiencing some problems, some of the symptoms of what we'd call 'problem gambling.'

The problem you have is that documetary makers always have a 'slant' - here that is to talk up the dangers of online poker (note there is no mention of any other online gambling, just poker).

The other problem is, as we all know from previous posts, is that these experts are full of sh*t - they ask 'have you ever skipped a meal or family social event to gamble' or 'do you ever dream about poker' and if you answer 'yes' then you are a problem gambler.
Bollox - I used to dream about chess or risk or magic the gathering when I played those -was I a 'problem chess player'?


Poker is an unusual form of 'gambling' in that you can play it (as almost all of us here on this site do) with a positive expectation of profit on a week to week basis - the odds are not stacked against you if you have the patience to learn to play it properly.

There are problem gamblers playing poker I have no doubt, and I suppose some of them will be young - but of all the games of chance and gambling/betting or casino sites online, poker is the one where if folks lose money it really is their own fault...it is amusing how those people who want to ban poker are the same ones who want everyone to run around with guns - they are happy to accept the argument for guns on the basis that the stupid few shouldn't spoil enjoyment for the many, but with poker it's the other way around.

poker is a problem only if it negatively affects your family or work life in a material way or if you are losing sums of money that you can't afford to - that's it.

I can truthfully answer no to 3, 9,10,11, 13, 16 and 20.

The rest I would have to answer yes to (for example I am sure that my wife has been pissed at me on occasion for playing poker when she wanted me to do something else and therefore for those few hours 'gambling made my home life unhappy' - I'm not happy when my wife is grumpy with me). The same could be said for virtually any hobby or TV program that I watch that my wife doesn't like.

Wow I must really be a problem gamber - despite that fact that I spent about 10 hrs/week doing it max and I'm $13k to the good...

I especially liked:
'Were you reluctant to use "gambling money" for normal expenditures? '
hell yes - that's called good bankroll management where I come from - notice the assumption in the question that you are a loser and your gambling money comes out of your 'real money'

Based on the Ga questions they are going to need to start renting stadiums for their meetings not hold them in small church's and rec centers, because based on those questions everyone I know that plays poker has a gabling problem.

#3 does poker affect my reputation?? Is that a yes if some of my friends wont sit down at a poker table with me??

#11. Does selling a kidney on Ebay count??? At least it went to a good cause right??

Excession: poker is a problem only if it negatively affects your family or work life in a material way or if you are losing sums of money that you can't afford to - that's it.

Not only in a material way. If gambling significantly affects your enjoyment of daily life, then it is a disorder. This is the standard DSM-IV way of looking at disorders.

I guess pennypinching scrooges (Tightwads!) provide a false positive for the question.

Molina