South Africa knows gambling - boasting some of the most prestigious and royal casino resorts in the world.  However, according the the National Gaming Board, gambling is getting out of control and under-regulated as evidenced by a recent study that found nearly 50% of 10 thru 12 year olds have gambled for money at some point in time - oftentimes, within schools themselves.  When several student were put before a disciplinary committee after being caught gambling in school, many of their parents admitted to pressuring their children to gamble in order to bring home needed money.

The National Gaming Board in South Africa has conducted a survey in KwaZulu-Natal, in which suspicions were confirmed that children are gambling in and out of schools - And in some situations, doing so to help financially support their families.

The findings are shocking, which report that 46% of 10-12 year olds surveyed from a pool of 4,000 students in twenty-eight schools have affirmed they have gambled whether in school or outside of school grounds.  The exact demographics of these results found that the majority of these students were of Indian ethnicity, while close to 40% of the students were white and colored.  Economic and social status of each student was not taken into consideration, although with some students it was clearly evident they came from poor families.  The reason this is so is because several parents confirmed their child's claims that they were told to gamble in order to bring money home to help support and feed their families.

Many of these children, who were caught at one time or another, were taken before a disciplinary committee with their parents in order to put an end to the activity within the schools.  However, the problem may have been slightly covered up according to the chairperson of the Parents Association in KwaZulu-Natal.  The claim is that along with drugs and defiant behavior, gambling was a recurring problem that schools were keeping silent about for fear that parents would move their children to other schools, consequently resulting in teacher layoffs.  Just how substantial and true these claims are, no one will know. 

The important matter now is that the problem in being addressed within the schools.  Whether these children continue to gamble outside of the schools in order to help support their families depends on the parents of these children.  Hopefully, the National Gaming Board will help to address this issue with the parents and provide the necessary support to guide these children in a safe and positive direction.

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