As legal gambling surges, some states want to teach teens about the risks

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - As a high school senior, Nick was blessed with a deadly accurate jump shot from the three-point range -- something he was quick to monetize.

Wagering is now easier than ever for adults -- and children -- and there's a growing movement in the U.S. to offer problem gambling education courses in public schools to teach teenagers how easily and quickly things can go wrong with betting.

Keith Whyte, executive director of the problem gambling council, recently spoke to a group of 40 high school juniors in Virginia.

Teresa Svincek is a teacher at a suburban Maryland school outside Washington, where many of her students are "heavily into sports betting" and weekly poker games.

Dan Trolaro, vice president of prevention at EPIC Risk Management and a recovered compulsive gambler, said gambling is the logical next issue to address in the classroom.

Last July, while working at a business selling high-value sports trading cards, Nick took a $35,000 payment from a customer and lost it in a weekend of gambling, mostly on overseas tennis and soccer matches, "things I knew nothing about."