rump’s Taj Mahal, the Showboat and Bally’s casino are all part of the gambling scene in New Jersey, but public schools are gaining on the Atlantic City casino scene.
Student involvement in addictive behaviors Alcohol Drugs Cigarettes Gambling At least once yearly Grade 7 36.8% 3.5% 18.2% 79.1% 9 62.2% 13.4% 34.5% 78.9% 11 79.8% 26.5% 48.4% 83.4% On a weekly basis Grade 7 7.4% 3.5% 7.0% 30.4% 9 14.0% 13.4% 16.1% 37.4% 11 20.2% 26.5% 31.4% 37.1% Source: Gupta & Derevensky,1998, McGill University PHOTO BY VERONICA YANKOWSKI Scratch-off lottery tickets are sometimes used by teachers to reward students.
Gambling is not just for adults anymore. Kids throughout Monmouth and Middlesex counties are anteing up at their local schools to win some quick cash.
While area school administrators insist gambling is not a problem in their schools, students are betting money on everything from simple dares to dice and card games to sports events.
"We’ll play games like poker and put down a quarter a round," said a 16-year-old Middlesex County high school student. "Sometimes it goes up and can get to $20 a round. I won $9 one time."
Students are betting their allowance, paychecks and lunch money on games played on buses and school grounds — both inside and outside school buildings.
"We play on the bus during class trips while the teachers are sitting in the front discussing other matters with other teachers," the 16-year-old said. "A lot of stuff goes on on the bus. They don’t realize they don’t have control."
The student claimed bus drivers are too busy concentrating on driving to worry about what is going on with the kids.
Gambling is enticing to some students for the potential financial gain it promises. Winning quick money is exciting to many kids in school.
"Kids are greedy and need money," the student said. "It’s boring if you just play card games, but it’s better if you can win money."
The only time that gambling stops on school buses is when parent chaperones come along on the school trips, the 16-year-old said.
Blackjack is another game of chance favored by high school students.
"We play that at lunch, on the bus and in the morning, before school starts," the Middlesex student said.
A 14-year-old Monmouth County high school student said gambling at his school is prevalent among juniors and seniors.
The upperclassmen bet on cards and dares, he said.
"They do stupid stuff like play dumb games," he said. "They go to the bank and get rolls of quarters to bet. Some kids are really into it and bet a lot of money."
But the gambling doesn’t begin in high school. Students in middle school are hopping on the bandwagon.
"Like in sixth or seventh grade, kids were rolling dice and betting," the 16-year-old Middlesex County student said.
Dice games, such as see-low, are played by students despite written and unwritten school policies against gambling.
"If the teachers see it (gambling), they tell us to put the cards or dice away. If we don’t put them away, they take them away and we get them back at the end of the day," he said.
Jack DeTalvo, Middletown Township superintendent of schools, said gambling is not a problem in his school district.
"I’m sure it (gambling) goes on (in the schools) to some degree, but drugs are the thing that’s the problem in the schools," DeTalvo said.
The Middletown school district does not have written policies prohibiting gambling, he said.
A 13-year-old middle school student from Monmouth County said gambling is a part of life at his school.
"Yeah, everyone does it before school outside, or when it’s raining, inside in the gym," the 13-year-old said.
Every student in his school is corralled into the gymnasium before school starts if it is raining outside, he said.
"Kids play in the gym. There aren’t enough teachers around then to watch everyone," he added.
DeTalvo said the teachers and administrators in his district have not reported any problems with students gambling.
"If we see it, we certainly would do something about it," DeTalvo said.
See-low is the dice game of choice among middle school students, the 13-year-old said.
"I think some kids made up theSchools becoming training ground for future gamblers
Greater Media Newspapers’ news policy is to print stories with only named sources. However, we also have a policy not to print the names of juveniles who are involved in illegal activities. Because of this policy, the three students cited in the following story are not named.
By mary dempsey
Staff Writer game a few years ago and a lot of kids in school play it," he said.
The game is similar to craps and involves throwing three dice. It has various methods of wagering, and is usually played on credit.
Students aren’t the only people in the schools promoting gambling, the 13-year-old said.
Some teachers reward students in the classroom by giving out instant scratch-off lottery tickets.
"My social studies teacher gives them out to the kids who do the best in class," the student said. "He said that if we win, we’ll split it."
According to New Jersey State Lottery rules, scratch-off lottery ticket players must be at least 18 years old.
The lottery commission warns adults not to involve underage children in the lottery and other gambling activities.
Renae LaPrete, Hazlet Township superintendent of schools, said she has not seen any student gambling in the schools.
"I’m in these (Raritan High School) halls all of the time and I’m saying I don’t see it (gambling)," she said. "It hasn’t been a big deal."
Although Hazlet does not have a specific written policy to deal with gambling in the schools, LaPrete said the Board of Education and administration are beginning to deal with the issue.
Added to the district’s high school student handbook this year is a ban on playing cards and card-playing paraphernalia in the school.
"We do have the playing cards in the handbook and that’s basically the only thing," LaPrete said. "We’ve adjusted [the policy] somewhat, but not all."
LaPrete said she planned to meet with district administrators last week to address the student gambling issue.

