As legal gambling surges, should schools teach teens about risk?

WAYNE PARRY

AS a high school senior, Nick was blessed with a deadly accurate jump shot from the three-point range — something he was quick to monetize.

He and his gym classmates not far from the Jersey Shore would compete to see who could make the most baskets, at $5 or $10 a pop.

“It gave a different dynamic to the day, a certain level of excitement,” Nick said. “Little did I know how far it would continue to go.”

Nick asked not to be identified by his full name because he has pending criminal charges over stealing money from his job to feed his gambling addiction, a compulsion that has cost him over $700,000 in the past decade. The 27-year-old plans to look for work after his charges are resolved, and he fears the job hunt will be even harder if he’s identified publicly as a compulsive gambler.

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