Too Young to Gamble: Long-term Risks from Underage Gambling.

The increasing availability of gambling opportunities worldwide has the potential to impact youth gambling behavior and the prevalence of gambling-related harm. This paper studies whether starting gambling at an early age (i.e., below the minimum legal gambling age) increases an individual's likelihood of suffering some kind of gambling-related harm in the future. Data taken from the Study on the Prevalence, Behavior and Characteristics of Gamblers in Spain provide information on respondents' gambling starting age and assess gambling risk based on criteria established by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Estimates from an ordered probit model suggest that starting to gamble while under the minimum legal age is associated with a higher likelihood of problem gambling.