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There is talk among Nevada gaming officials of lowering the gambling age from 21 to 18 years old. With places like Wendover, Las Vegas and Mesquite within driving distance, there are a number of people in Utah curious to see what happens with Nevada's legal gambling age.
With Americans dropping fewer dollars into hot gambling towns amid an economic recession, the debate kicked off last week in an article featured in the Las Vegas Sun. Dennis Copyak, general manager of Le Bus, said, "They're [young people] very well educated. They can make their own choices."
In late July, NBC reported room rates in Las Vegas were down, gambling revenue was down, and so was air and auto traffic.
The ripple effect is being felt in Salt Lake City. Copyak said his touring service to places like Wendover would benefit from a younger crowd. He said, "You're not going to go out and gamble for eight hours. You have to eat and have some fun and do some entertainment."
But Utah psychiatrist Dr. Louis Moench had a very different perspective. He said, "I can see no good that would come from it, but I can see a lot of bad that would come from it."
The American Psychiatric Association reports about 10 to 15 percent of young people in North America have experienced one or more significant problems related to gambling.
Dr. Moench says that group is more than twice as susceptible to compulsive gambling as older adults. "Teenagers are also more vulnerable to the atmosphere where gambling takes place," Moench said. "So, if there's alcohol there, they're more apt to use the alcohol."
Lowering the gambling age will likely face intense scrutiny once Nevada lawmakers take a look at it. Tribal casinos in Arizona and California have a gambling age of 18.
For more information on the effects of compulsive gambling, click on the related links.
E-mail: wjohnson@ksl.com
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