Title: Gambling Addiction
Feed: CWKN #389, June 11, 2008
Time: 1:39
SUGGESTED LEAD: THE TELLTALE SIGNS ARE ALARMING: STUDENTS HOLED UP IN THEIR ROOMS ... IGNORING FRIENDS ... FAMILY ... EVEN FOOD AND HYGIENE; FALLING GRADES; EMPTY BANK ACCOUNTS. BUT THE CULPRIT ISN'T ALCOHOL OR DRUGS.  IT IS ONLINE POKER.  AND STUDIES SHOW MORE AND MORE KIDS ARE BECOMING ADDICTED.  MORE ON TONIGHT’S CONNECT WITH KIDS.
<<PKG>>

NATS: poker machine “player wins”

SUPER: Daniel Gushue, 22 years old (:03)
“I think if someone had asked me if I had wanted to go out with a beautiful girl or sit at home and play poker, I probably would have said I’d play poker.”

NARR:  DANIEL WAS A COMPULSIVE GAMBLER.

OVER THE COURSE OF TWO YEARS HE RACKED UP EIGHTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS OF CREDIT CARD DEBT. (:07)

NATS: looking at bank statement
“So on a typical night, my gambling at it’s worst, um say here Oct. 25th I deposited $50, I deposited another 50, another 50, a 100, another 100, 50, and then 200.  So all-in-all that’s 6, $600.”

NARR: A SURVEY BY THE UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO FOUND THAT OVER 2 PERCENT OF TEENS ADMIT TO HAVING A GAMBLING PROBLEM. … THAT REPRESENTS 750 THOUSAND TEENS … SOME ARE STEALING OR SELLING POSSESSIONS TO CONTINUE GAMBLING.

EXPERTS BLAME ACCESSIBLILITY. (:16)

SUPER: Timothy Fong, M.D., Addiction Psychiatrist (:54)
“So whereas 15-20 years ago you have to get into a car, drive to a casino, might take you an hour or two hours or three hours to get there, now you can just pick up your cell phone and be gambling while you are waiting in the doctor’s office, or while you’re waiting at the bus stop.”

NARR: THAT’S WHY, EXPERTS SAY, PARENTS NEED TO BE PROACTIVE. (:03)
 
SUPER: Larry Rosen, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology (1:12)
“Familiarize yourself with what potential problems your kids might come up against, and sit them down and talk to them.”

NARR:  DANIEL DOESN'T PLAY ONLINE POKER ANYMORE, BUT HE DOES GAMBLE ON SPORTS.

AND HIS GIRLFRIEND IS NERVOUS. (:07)

SUPER: Carlee Schaper, Daniel’s Girlfriend (1:25)
“Sports betting and things like that, I don’t like to see him doing that, because I feel like it’s a slippery slope, and, um, it’s possible for him to go back to his old ways.”

SOT: Daniel Gushue, 22 years old
“Should I be gambling?  Probably not.  But for the time being I’m in a good place.”

SUGGESTED TAG:  UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO RESEARCHERS ALSO FOUND THAT ELEVEN PERCENT OF TEENS GAMBLE AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK.  FOR MORE INFORMATION LOG ONTO WWW.CONNECTWITHKIDS.COM.