Unfortunately, teen-age gambling also has increased dramatically, especially in cities with legalized gambling. According to Fred Franco Jr., a prosecutor in New Jersey, "gambling is the addiction of the '90's."39 These teen gamblers get an adrenaline rush when gambling, just like when taking drugs. Approximately 500 million to one billion dollars are gambled each year by underage gamblers.40 Even worse, the estimated 1.3 million teen gamblers, 7% of which are under the age of 18, are twice as likely to become compulsive gamblers.41 Another source determined that one million teenagers are compulsive gamblers out of the eight million compulsive gamblers in the country.42 These numbers vary so much because few institutions have researched this very major problem. These young compulsive gamblers have the same problems as their older counterparts. Approximately 13% commit crimes to pay for their habit.43 They put gambling above school, friends, and their growing debt.44 A poll at a local Las Vegas high school showed that 400 out of 768(52%) students had gambled illegally. Other research showed 155,000 underage gamblers were caught trying to get into Atlantic City casinos last year.45 Teen gambling is rapidly growing for many reasons. First, few seem to care about or address the issue. Second, every new casino built on the Las Vegas strip has become family oriented. The MGM Grand, Luxor, and Treasure Island, built in the last five years, and Circus Circus and Excalibur, built a few years before, all have a Disney-like environment geared towar...
