Japanese authorities and independent experts are worried that there is a growing epidemic among young people, with more youths turning to gambling as a pastime, which can have a devastating impact.

Children and adolescents as young as 15 have been giving statements that they were keen to find more money to be able to continue gambling online. A young boy was arrested after he scammed a man in his 30s out of $8,800 in a romance scam.

Young People Obsessed with Getting More Money to Gamble, Recognize the Issue

The boy posed as a young female college student and was able to scam more than 30 men out of various sums. In one more shocking case, a 13-year-old boy was found to have been gambling at online casinos since elementary school, and the number of young people with a gambling problem has been growing steadily. This comes amid a larger crackdown on online gambling.

In Japan, the National Police Agency estimates that 3.37 million people currently gamble at offshore online casinos, and 180,000 of these people are between the ages of 10-19, the most vulnerable ages.

Habits picked up during these years could have a lifelong impact on young people, who spiral into compulsive gambling and develop poor restraints over the years, exposing them to financial and personal consequences, and increasing their chances of suicidal thoughts.

Minors Who Gamble Have a Serious Problem with the Activity

To make matters worse still, the National Police Agency has said that 70% of those minors it interviewed said that they had become addicted to the practice.

Toshiaki Tsuneoka, associate professor at Showa Medical University, says the activity poses serious dangers: “Because online gambling is so easily accessible through a smartphone, there’s a real danger that children could become addicted before their parents even notice. We need stronger efforts to raise awareness that addiction can be treated through medical care and self-help groups.”

Japan has been, in the meantime, cracking down on people who engage in online gambling, going after athletes, actors, news anchors, and other role models to boost awareness about the illegitimacy of the practice, something that is often overlooked by those who partake in illegal gambling.