OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – You could unknowingly be encouraging your child to develop problem gambling behaviors.

It’s at a young age studies show where the issue could develop into something worse.

Growing up in a family of gamblers, incarceration, and addiction, one of those stayed with Mike Sciandra.

“Gambling was the one thing that stuck with me,” Sciandra said.

According to the National Problem Gambling Helpline, up to 10.5 million Americans are estimated to have a problem with gambling. Many of those, studies show, started on average at 10 years old.

“More and more people are having problems with gambling, and so we’re seeing it a younger age,” Prevention Director Lorelle Mueting with the Heartland Family Service said.

That’s when Sciandra got into it.

“I remember starting to bet, playing card games for money, betting on sports when I was nine years old,” Sciandra said.

“So gifting lottery tickets, while it seems really harmless can be a problem for people,” Mueting said.

“As I got older, I thought I would grow out of it,” Sciandra said.

It only got worse.

“Went bankrupt twice. I lost a marriage over it.”

He tried to stop.

“Cut up credit cards, cancelled bank accounts, tried to hide money from myself.”

It wasn’t until he says he had an epiphany playing Keno four years ago he really committed to recovery.

“It got to the point where I was serious about wanting to receive treatment.”

Resources for problem gambling and the confidential crisis hotlines where they provide free resources and hand-offs to local providers can be found below.

1. Nebraska Gamblers Assistance Program
2. 1-833-BET-OVER (Nebraska-specific help)
3. 1-800-BETS OFF (Iowa-specific help)

“Now that I have lifted that weight off me, I have so much more clarity, so much more focus, so much more passion,” Sciandra said.

Sciandra now helps others recover and is a public speaker for children and teens.

The Heartland Family Service also offers treatment for problem gambling.

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