Short course on long odds: Students learn gambling woes

Tuesday, March 20, 2001 | 10:59 a.m.

Sixth-graders at Thurman White Middle School in Henderson learn that slot machine players get back only $93 for every $100 wagered and that "a penny saved is better than a penny gambled."

This is not Gamblers Anonymous for youngsters with a problem but rather an elective critical thinking course for gifted students taught by Mary Jo Carter. It so happens that when discussing societal influences they learn about the long odds associated with wagering.

Carter, who began incorporating such instruction this semester, is believed to be the first Clark County School District teacher to do so. The Sun reported last month that while other states have begun teaching the perils of gambling to youngsters, the issue is not on the radar screen in Southern Nevada. Carter hopes to change that.

"Many teachers can incorporate this into their curriculum," Carter said. "It can be implemented without costing a lot of money. I would do it with sixth graders on up because I don't think younger kids would understand."

One of her students who knew a problem gambler came up with the idea of discussing gambling issues in class, and it has now taken on a life of its own.

When they brainstorm about influences such as money, parents and peers, Carter often weaves into that discussion the pros and cons of gambling, mostly the cons. Her bungalow classroom is filled with gambling-related displays made by the students, including a list that enumerates the problems with wagering.

"There are social and emotional effects from gambling," Carter said. "Gambling may influence high crime rates, and it can influence other vices."

Some students, such as Robert Kowalewski, have become conversant in the history of gambling. He knew about baseball's 1919 "Black Sox" scandal in which the heavily favored Chicago White Sox threw the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. Eight players were said to have taken bribes from underworld figures to throw the games.

"If the odds were higher in our favor, the casinos wouldn't get so much money," Kowalewski said. "In Powerball the odds of winning are about 80 million to one. You could lose all your grocery money if you tried to gamble too much."

Last week, Carter's pupils conducted a survey at school in which 75 percent of the 200 student respondents indicated they had been affected by gambling. Many of those students said they had wagered on games or other activities with friends. Student Kristopher Mitchell said that when he turns 21 he would gamble only sporadically because he has now learned the odds.

"We've learned a lot about odds and how they relate to each other," he said. "The odds of winning Megabucks are worse than getting struck by lightning twice and living."

At a recent class, Mitchell and fellow students exchanged ideas with Carter for almost an hour on the topic of gambling. Kowalewski said many problem gamblers do not get help for their addiction because they are too busy gambling.

"One casino, two casinos, three casinos, poor," he said, reciting one of many slogans the students have come up with related to gambling.

Another student complained about the number of tickets needed at an arcade to win a stuffed animal. He said it would be much cheaper to buy the stuffed animal at a store.

One girl observed that "you always see billboards of people who win stuff, but you never see billboards of people who lost $5,000."

School Principal Emil Wozniak said he believes the students are benefitting from the instruction and that the influences of gambling should be discussed at other schools.

"It should be addressed on a district-wide level," Wozniak said. "It's always important that students experience the plusses and minuses of topics in their present lives and this is one of them. As casinos proliferate in the local neighborhoods, this is an issue we have to address."

Some parents agree. Julie Clark, whose daughter attends Carter's class, said their family had discussed the dangers of other vices such as alcohol and illicit drugs but had not spent any time talking about gambling.

"I just never thought of putting it that way, yet we are surrounded by gambling in Las Vegas," Clark said.

She said she is now convinced that other schools also ought to teach about the influences of gambling. Fellow parent Mary Dumont, whose son is in the class, also said she believes other students could benefit from the instruction.

"I don't see that it hurts my child," she said. "It's good to give kids as much information as possible without being biased. I do think other kids could benefit but it depends on their maturity. Parents should also be involved as much as possible."