Legislation would raise gambling age to 21

Problem-gambling activists are championing legislation that would increase the state's gambling age from 18 to 21.

Thursday, lawmakers in the Senate Labor, Commerce, Research and Development Committee considered a measure that would prohibit gambling for anyone under 21 years old. Under current law, 18-year-olds can place bets at horse tracks and in some casinos and buy lottery tickets.

The measure, Senate Bill 6523, would not affect tribal casinos.

"There is just this massive onslaught of gambling acceptability in our culture," said Jennifer McCausland, director of Second Chance Washington, an advocacy group that supports the measure. McCausland, who said her son died in an accident indirectly caused by gambling addiction, said TV shows such as Bravo's "Celebrity Poker Showdown" have popularized gambling among teens.

Lobbyists from the gaming industry say the measure would unfairly impact businesses, such as cardrooms, that compete with tribal casinos. Some also contend that the law would encourage teens to flock to Internet gambling sites or tribal casinos.

"The very age group you are targeting, they are very creative and they are very innovative," said Jim Halstrom, a lobbyist for Emerald Downs horse track in Auburn, at a hearing earlier this week on an identical house version of the bill.

Opponents also contend that the bill is too broad, banning children and teens from playing carnival games and even charitable bingo.

The sponsor of the House bill, Rep. Mary Helen Roberts, D-Edmonds, said she is open to amendments that would exempt charitable gambling, such as nonprofit bingo halls.

But even charitable bingo can lead to addictive behavior, McCausland said. Higher age limits would encourage parents to rethink how serious gambling addiction is, she said, citing a 1999 study by the National Gambling Impact Study Commission.

Will Lint of Seattle testified in favor of the bill at Thursday's hearing. Lint first gambled when he was 7 years old, playing scratch tickets with his grandfather. By 20, he was going to casinos five or six times a week. By age 21, he had spent more than $40,000 on his addiction.

"Instead of using $100 to $200 worth of drugs a day, I was spending the same amount to feed my hungry addiction of gambling," Lint testified at the Senate hearing.

At 22, Lint says he is debt-free and hasn't gambled since joining Gamblers Anonymous last March. But he learned his lesson the hard way, he said.

"I just really think that people that are under 21 are not financially responsible and stable enough to gamble."

If either House or Senate measure were to pass, Washington's Lottery would lose $13.7 million in yearly sales, according to Lynn Maier of the Washington Lottery. The agency would need to spend an additional $1.5 million to reprint and re-stock tickets and merchandise in its 3,500 stores to reflect the minimum-age change, Maier said at hearings in the House and Senate.

Roberts said she is unsure if her legislation will pass this session. The complex nature of the bill would make it a good candidate for a gambling task force, she said.

"My sense is that the issue is more complicated and has more aspects than I was initially aware of," she said.

A 1999 study by Washington State Council on Problem Gambling found that 8.4 percent of teens have a gambling problem. But with increased access to Internet gambling, that figure is probably higher now. The study also found teens were more likely to develop a gambling problem if they bought lottery tickets or bet on card games.

Karen Johnson: 360-943-9882 or karenjohnson@seattletimes.com