Gambling is betting money without a certainty of a good outcome. With gambling, there’s always a risk that you could win more or lose it all. There are many different types of gambling. Chain-based gambling such as the lottery or bingo which are 100% random. You have no influence over whether you will win or not. With skill-based gambling, such as poker or blackjack, you are able to influence your chances of being successful. However, the odds may not always be in your favor. Your skill set can affect your win or loss as well. Neither of these types of gambling can create any certainty of the outcome. 

A big issue with gambling is the popularity it has been gaining in such a short time. Many teenagers see gambling as part of a normal everyday life. There’s so many influencing advertisements and games available for them to see and experience. These gambling advertisements are shown to be exciting, however are dangerous when children and teenagers take part in them and fall in their trap. 

The legal age for gambling is 18 years old, and there’s a good reason for that. The adolescent years are when brains develop and learn how to make important decisions. If someone under the age of 18 were to take part in gambling, they would essentially be training their brain to treat gambling as a norm and become addicted. 

Gambling is very addicting to adults with fully formed, functioning brains. So, just imagine how addicting it would be to a child or teen with a brain that isn’t fully developed yet. With the cycle of gambling, every loss makes you feel like you have to play again to win a bigger prize and make up for the loss. With every win you feel on top of the world, and nothing can stop you, so you bet more money to raise the stakes. Gambling is an endless cycle and very hard to get out of once you are trapped. 

When you first start gambling, it may seem like it is improving your confidence when the wins start coming. This allows you to engage in these imaginary wins, and make them way more real than they seem. However, when more money is lost, your self-esteem will take a tumble. All of this uncertainty created by the game of gambling ensures uncertainty in your real life.