Common Beliefs and the Real Facts:

Common Belief: Only adults gamble

Real Fact: Research has demonstrated that over 80% of teens have had some involvement in gambling. Most young people don't consider themselves "gamblers." Yet most of today's teens have been gambling for years - not the way adults gamble, at bingo halls, casinos, bars or racetracks, but through casual betting with friends or family or even at school.

Common Belief: Gambling is a harmless activity.

Real Fact: Many people who gamble do so without experiencing problems. Some people are not so lucky. Problem gambling is any gambling behaviour that has a negative effect on someone's life or the lives of people- including parents, brothers and sisters, your friends. It may cause someone to fall behind in schoolwork, have arguments with family or friends, or worry about money lost.

Common Belief: There are systems that make it easier to predict winning lottery numbers.

Real Fact: It doesn't t matter how the numbers are picked; your odds of winning are always the same. Take a lottery like Lotto 6/49 for example. All the numbers are put into a drum and then mixed up. The selection of winning numbers is purely random. Each number has the same chance of being selected (exactly 1 in 49 chance). Your chances of winning with one ticket are 1 in 14 million. That means there is no system for picking lottery numbers. It's all random.

Common Belief: Teens don't develop gambling problems.

Real Fact: Teens tend to gamble with friends and not in casinos, but that doesn't mean they can t develop gambling problems. At Harvard Medical School, a study of North American youth found that 9.9 percent to 14.2 percent of youth were problem gamblers.

Common Belief: Gambling is exciting and adds to the fun.

Real Fact: Risking a little bit of your hard earned cash makes a game of golf, cards or pool more fun according to some people. For sure there is some excitement attached to taking risks. But there is very little excitement involved in losing your money. A survey completed in Alberta of teenage problem gamblers often said they were unhappy, anxious, worried and upset.

Common Belief: Winning the lottery would put you on easy street.

Real Fact: Not if you are under 18. In Ontario, it is against provincial lottery regulations for those under the age of 18 to purchase lottery tickets, collect lottery winnings, or to play any other game sponsored by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

Common Belief: No one will be able to tell if I'm having any problems with my gambling.

Real Fact: People don't usually start out as problem gamblers. Somewhere along the way, though, the casual bets stop being "just for fun" and begin causing problems.

Recognizable signs might be:

• Spending more time or money gambling than intended.
• Going back another day to try to win back money or possessions that were lost
• Feeling badly about the gambling or about what happens when gambling.
• Telling others only about winning money from betting, when you really haven't.
• Wanting to stop betting money, or gambling, but don't think you can.
• Hiding signs of betting or gambling from your parents, friends or others.
• Having arguments at home, about money and gambling.
• Skipping school or work for reasons related to gambling.
• Borrowing money from someone and don't pay them back, as a result of gambling.