Did Anyone Here Start Gambling While Still a Minor?

[Botnake]

Who here started gambling when they were still a minor?

Already in my 40s now, and gambling is not really new to me since I was exposed to it when I was still a kid, maybe around 10 years old.

My grandfather had a small gambling place in our town, you know not a real casino, just a small local setup. Sometimes I was asked to watch the players and I would get a small commission whenever someone won. Because of that, I slowly became interested and eventually tried gambling myself.

I know gambling as a minor is risky, and I’m not saying minors should gamble. But in my case, being exposed early made me understand the risks, emotions, and self-control better.

Share ur story.

[Filicius]

I can't remember the first time I gambled, but I am totally sure that when I played my first lotteries I was just a child. I remember selling tickets for the Red Cross' lottery and buying myself one when I was 14 or 15 years old. And, like you, I had been exposed early to lotteries, because my father used to play when we went for walks when I was a child.

I agree with you that early access to gambling is a risk not worth taking, but I don't think the same about having a minimum of knowledge and exposure by a family member from an early age, because in my case I think it wasn't negative.

[I_Anime]

Who here started gambling when they were still a minor?

Already in my 40s now, and gambling is not really new to me since I was exposed to it when I was still a kid, maybe around 10 years old.

My grandfather had a small gambling place in our town, you know not a real casino, just a small local setup. Sometimes I was asked to watch the players and I would get a small commission whenever someone won. Because of that, I slowly became interested and eventually tried gambling myself.

I know gambling as a minor is risky, and I’m not saying minors should gamble. But in my case, being exposed early made me understand the risks, emotions, and self-control better.

Share ur story.

10 years that's indeed too early , the reason why you where able  to build a better control just as you mentioned is because you encountered different gamblers and you pick one or two from their experiences. In another scenario where a 10 years engaging in gambling due to peer and stuff ,it won't end well . The first time i gave it a try i was also quite younger then ,back then  i did not directly gamble  it was a friend that help me to placed the bet  and the game end up going against us, and we lost .

When i decided to gave it a try on my own the platform i used then was not completely a casino it  was more of a site where you can earn some small amount of cryptocurrency. I Was still new to the crypto space so i was searching for means to earn in the space , so i tried given the multiplier feature in the platform a try , first it was going well until i began to noticed, i can't stay without playing the multiplier games but i neglected it till it later dawn on me after  emptying my wallet i had to stop then before it will become an habit.

[Karl_3000]

It depends on the type of gambling.

I have been gambling during high school days with my school mates when I was not more than 14 years but the game is within us and not on gambling sites.

If you are talking about gambling on gambling sites, I was over 20 years old before I registered an account on a gambling site.

[Botnake]

I can't remember the first time I gambled, but I am totally sure that when I played my first lotteries I was just a child. I remember selling tickets for the Red Cross' lottery and buying myself one when I was 14 or 15 years old. And, like you, I had been exposed early to lotteries, because my father used to play when we went for walks when I was a child.

That is still gambling, but in my case it's a little different because I'm not really a fan of lottery. Most of my early gambling was through card games that are popular in our country, I also used to play those old video gambling machines before, not the kind we have now, more like our version of slots in a big box machine where people would line up to bet.

Most of the games I played were really card games, then as I got older I learned different kinds of gambling, particularly sports betting. So I can really say I'm a gambler, maybe I'm even proud of it. Lol.

[Pandu Geddon]

Playing card games at school with a small amount of money at stake, can that be called gambling? If so, that means I was also gambling underage. At that time, of course, we weren't thinking about making money from gambling. We were just having fun with card games with a little bit of money at stake.

I also started getting to know online gambling through friends. But I started gambling regularly when I was already earning my own money.

[bakasabo]

Is playing games like poker and blackjack without betting money or without bets counts? Because I saw people playing those games in movies and ask parents to explain me game rules. I remember father taught me poker card combinations. I remember I played blackjack (but we called it "21") with grandmother when I was spending summer holidays at her house. The goal of playing blackjack was to teach me math a little bit. I think I had some console gambling game because I remember I played slots (or slot was one of game elements to win bonuses such as extra life or continue). Nevertheless, when I was a little kid, I already knew what is gambling.

[Iranus]

But in my case, being exposed early made me understand the risks, emotions, and self-control better.

From your personal experience, you could say early exposure taught you self-control. But taking this as general lesson is risky.

I think starting gambling at under 18 is associated with higher likelihood of problem gambling later on. Exposure to gambling from young age can also teach us the reality of probability, house edge or loss. Other hand it can also normalize gambling from very early age. And I would definitely be wary of normalization of gambling in young people.

So your experience is interesting. But I wouldn't recommend minors gamble just because I turned out fine. Rather, in my opinion those of us who gamble should keep minor away from gambling and teach them odd, bankroll discipline, loss control etc. There is no need to take real money risks to learn how to gamble.

[Supreme Donvic]

I started gambling a long time ago and I think I was still a minor because in my country for you to become an adult you must be 18 years and above and when i started gambling I think I should be should be 16 years or 17 years.
I was not really into gambling that much back then, I only gambled when I had some free cash on me and thank God I was not addicted to gambling back then.
I did not experience anything bad back then, I remember winning some good amount of money that I used in buying some clothes and some shoes.
A friend of mine that won some good amount of money was the person that introduced me and he was the one predicting games for me back then.

[Yablee0]

Mine was totally no way I could have gamble at that earlier stage of my life since my parents are that type that barely let us out when at home, even when we are out for maybe a message or for any other reason, we must be strictly monitored by someone.  Although we do play some games at school with friends but not that real gamble due to how we was raised.

I know gambling as a minor is risky, and I’m not saying minors should gamble. But in my case, being exposed early made me understand the risks, emotions, and self-control better.

Yea that's true. Gambling at a very early age as a kid is very bad since children can hardly know when to back off and when to continue. Your parents didn't do well so to speak by allowing you to be involved in it because this could have risk you into addiction. But I thank God that the reverse was the case but I don't think it's a right thing to do as parents.

[DabsPoorVersion]

I know gambling as a minor is risky, and I’m not saying minors should gamble. But in my case, being exposed early made me understand the risks, emotions, and self-control better.

Does it really make you understand the risk, emotions, and have a better self control by being exposed at an early age? Because for me it's not, learning at a young age is not some kind of preparation to know better to those things. During that time, your judgement and impulse control is not yet fully developed, being exposed at a younger age might make you think that gambling is just a normal game without understanding the fiinancial risk and so on.

You might probably built an experience to shaping the way you are in gambling today. The time when you reached the age where you can fully decide and understand the consequences of gambling.

[Rockstarguy]

I know gambling as a minor is risky, and I’m not saying minors should gamble. But in my case, being exposed early made me understand the risks, emotions, and self-control better.

Share ur story.

I will say you are lucky for not being carried away by early exposure to gambling. Early exposure to gambling has serious effects, and it is not encouraging for minors to be involved in businesses like this because minors have their own ways of reasoning, even if they might have been told or understand the risks of gambling.

Minors always have the mindset to give it a try, thinking they can make amendments when they feel like it, but in the end, it influences them because they are not able to have good control over it. Early exposure to gambling has never been good for minors because of their understanding and the way they see things.

[freedomgo]

Under 18 is considered a minor, right? If that's the case, then I guess I'm one of the many who started gambling while still a minor.

These days it's not really surprising anymore since gambling is much easier to access, most of it is already online and anyone can gamble, even without KYC since many casinos don't require it. That can easily encourage minors to try gambling, especially when there are so many online games that look entertaining.

And to OP, good for you, you didn't end up facing a serious problem, instead it seems the experience helped you mature more. I just hope that's also the case for everyone.

[As-Soon-As]

Look, I am 35 years old, I was a minor when I learned to gamble. But when I was dependent on myself, I gambled, but before that I had learned to gamble for a long time, I started gambling by gaining experience in all kinds of strategies, starting from controlling my emotions. I have been gambling for 12 years, but in the beginning I faced some addiction, later when I was completely self-reliant, I was able to stay away from the possibility of addiction.
Now I am completely away from gambling addiction, because I understand that when I have a lot of profit in gambling, I take a break, if I face losses, I can still take a break from gambling. By doing this strategy, I can keep myself safe from gambling addiction.

[Donk1]

​Well, I don't really have an experience to share. Still I think having interest in something you see others doing isn't bad, even when it comes to a game like gambling. Still it depends on how that thing influences you. I have tried gambling several times, but it never really caught my interest.

​I believe the game is all about luck, so when you make use of money you can afford to lose, it does not really bother you that much. But still I feel those risks aren't worth taking in most cases, because it's not everything that works for one person that will work for the other....

​Overall gambling isn't bad until you start seeing it as a source of income, or maybe you start getting obsessed with it or addicted to it. So yeah that's all. Everyone gets to make a choice, even as a kid, but when given the opportunity to do so, don't make a choice based on interest make one based on goals......

[Crypto_Timothy]

Already in my 40s now, and gambling is not really new to me since I was exposed to it when I was still a kid, maybe around 10 years old.
 as a minor is risky, and I’m not saying minors should gamble. But in my case, being exposed early made me understand the risks, emotions, and self-control better.

I started gambling after my admission into University, i can remember it being a year after or so. It was online gambling on sporty bet and it was actually interesting to me. I saw it as playing a game and if i won the game, i also won money, so it was all fun and games for me when i started. Not everyone survives but if you can go through certain tough times as a child, i think it has some benefits later in life, especially the experiences and lesson those tough times will teach you but if you dont survive it, being exposed at a young age can completely ruin your life so im glad it turned out good for you.

[angrybirdy]

Who here started gambling when they were still a minor?

Already in my 40s now, and gambling is not really new to me since I was exposed to it when I was still a kid, maybe around 10 years old.

My grandfather had a small gambling place in our town, you know not a real casino, just a small local setup. Sometimes I was asked to watch the players and I would get a small commission whenever someone won. Because of that, I slowly became interested and eventually tried gambling myself.

I know gambling as a minor is risky, and I’m not saying minors should gamble. But in my case, being exposed early made me understand the risks, emotions, and self-control better.

Share ur story.

we have the same situation before, OP. I started trying gambling in my late 20s but since my family on my mother’s side are all gamblers, I already had an idea about gambling, I think, since I was 6 because my mother was also doing gambling in our compound. I know card games, poker, mahjong and even casino at very young age... I was exposed to different situations where there were times that some of my family members and their opponents would fight a lot because they ended up losing a huge amount of money. Growing up in that kind of environment, I told myself that when I grow up, I will never end up being like them. I will gamble only for a little time if i want to experience any challenging times, not to the point that gambling will be considered a source of income. Even now that I’m grown up, my uncles on my mom’s side are still doing gambling as their source of income, which seems like an unhealthy habit because they lose every day, to the point that they are not able to do their obligations as fathers in their family, resulted in splitting up with their partners and having a broken family because of gambling...There’s nothing wrong if you know about gambling or how it works even when you are young, but in that way, you will also see the possible effects if you are not able to handle yourself. Being a responsible gambler is a must.

[Oshosondy]

​Overall gambling isn't bad until you start seeing it as a source of income, or maybe you start getting obsessed with it or addicted to it. So yeah that's all. Everyone gets to make a choice, even as a kid, but when given the opportunity to do so, don't make a choice based on interest make one based on goals......

Kids are not to make choices when it comes to gambling, they should not be allowed to gamble until the are 18. They are small and not yet adults and they are not making money yet for themselves. Anyone that is not making money also should not be gambling. But some children are very wise, they will gamble in a way that no one will know. I am not talking about the kind of bet between children, but I am referring to gambling on gambling sites.

[suzanne5223]

Gambling is something that's not new to me either, because when i was 2 years old and upward, most of the friends I had were always people who were older than me, so I'm mostly exposed to something that's beyond my age, and if i could remember correctly, I have been watching adult movies and coming home late during that age. So my parent dont bother about me coming home late because they know I'm with my friend, and they are all responsible people, but you cant take curiosity from young kids about knowing something at a certain age.
Therefore, my gambling life started with dice among friends.

[coin-investor]

I know gambling as a minor is risky, and I’m not saying minors should gamble. But in my case, being exposed early made me understand the risks, emotions, and self-control better.

I agree; I started betting during our fiesta, and I tagged along with my older friends. At a young age, I learned how to lose my savings and the many heartaches and joys of winning. I understood that winning is rare and losing is inevitable. After those who lost, I learned to control my emotions and understand how gambling works.

But there will always come a time when you lose your emotions; it takes years of heartache and frustration before you become a responsible gambler. It's good that I started young, but it's a risky time to gamble.