March Madness and Fantasy Games

March Madness and fantasy sports games are not a just a game of skill but involves chance, which is gambling when it involves money. It encourages youth as young as six to have a financial stake in the outcomes of games. With valuable monetary prizes, youth may believe that gambling is a safe and effective way to earn money and bet more to win.  The truth is youth engaged in March Madness and fantasy sports games are more like to develop problem gambling later in life. In fact, 1 in every 20 college students develops a gambling problem.  Recognize some of the signs.  Is there an unusual interest in sports scores or stats; unexplained financial problems, borrowing money or selling their things?  Do they have a large amount of money or changes in personality or behavior?  These are all signs of problem gambling. For a list of gambling programs that WDAC provides at no cost to schools/youth groups/afterschool click here.