Children as young as 11 are racking up thousands of dollars in debt because of online gambling, according to a support service.

The head of Mapu Maia said it had had an increase in school counsellors and social workers reaching out with concerns of problem online gambling among secondary school students and even some children at intermediate.

The organisation works to prevent harm from online gambling and said more research and support was needed, with offshore gambling websites posing a particular risk.

Mapu Maia chief executive Pesio Ah-Honi said she was approached by distressed parents, whose child was up all night gambling online.

“Parents of a child who was in intermediate, so that would be around 11 to 12 years old, were beside the…

Read the full article at: https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/07/03/kids-rack-up-thousands-in-debt-in-unregulated-online-gambling/