As with the results of the adult survey, the reported total monthly expenditure for each gambling activity is calculated by summing the amount of money reported by each respondent on each gambling activity. The total amount spent in a typical month by all respondents on all gambling activities is then calculated by dividing the amount spent on each activity by the total. The total monthly expenditure on all gambling activities is divided by the total number of respondents in the survey to obtain an average amount spent per respondent. Table 2 shows total reported monthly expenditures on different types of gambling among adolescents in Washington State as well as the proportion that each type of expenditure represents of total adjusted monthly expenditures on gambling among adolescents. 1.5 Casino 225 1.4 Total Expenditures 16,165 100.0 Variations in Expenditures Table 3 on the following page shows mean monthly expenditures on all types of gambling by Washington State adolescents.
Significance test is on median rather than on mean.
As with adults, the majority of adolescents in Washington State report spending rather small amounts on gambling in a typical month. As a socially endorsed risk-taking behavior, some researchers and clinicians fear that lottery gambling, in particular, may be an experience that encourages young people to engage in other, less broadly sanctioned types of gambling, such as sports betting. Researchers and clinicians also fear that gambling may lead adolescents to engage in other risk-taking behaviors, such as illicit drug use. To test the notion that lottery play may be a gateway to other types of gambling among adolescents in Washington State, we examined lottery play by age as well as looking at the relationship between lottery play and other types of gambling. This analysis shows that there is a significant increase in lottery play by age.