You might want to check out Rick Reily's diatribe on the poker craze in Sports Illustrated last fall (october maybe?). I didn't agree with all of it, but he certainly raised a few good points, and so did you.
Personally, I consider the issue of teens playing poker to be a mixed blessing. I think there are a number of benefits involved in teaching younger people to play poker that can alleviate the potential risk of gambling addiction.
Poker is rather unique among gambling games in that it is a game of skill and strategy that invloves luck, rather than simply a game of luck. While there are others, the only other common game like this that comes to mind is backgammon. (although there are not that many places to play backgammon for $$$ in the US)
I was 12 or so when I first learned to play poker for pennies while sitting around a kitchen table with relatives. I was taught the rules of the game, ranks of the hands, etc and set free. At the time, I loved games, including board-based wargames, rpg's, cards, chess...all of them. I played that night and never really gave the game a second thought. It seemed kind of pointless to me then. I played again 6 or 7 years later, and again, it didn't grab me.
It wasn't until a few years ago when I read my first book on poker (something by Sklansky) that I began to understand how the game worked, and the intricacy of thought that was involved. With the proper background, poker became a lucrative and fascinating game.
I was severely depressed then, not getting out of the house much, and sufferring from extreme self-confidence and self-esteem issues. I played for play money for a while, then made my first neteller deposit a few months later after I gained some confidence. I started out at nickle-dime stakes and $5 sit-and-gos, and progressively moved up to where I play now (up to 4-8, $30 sit-and-gos)
Poker fullfilled a lot of needs for me at the time. It provided social interaction, competition, and mental exercise. It reinforced the benefits of patience, courage, and self-control. And of course, winning helped my self-esteem and provided the feelings of confidence and competence that I needed at the time. I absolutely believe that poker was a significant factor in relieving the depression, and saving my life.
I think that poker, played correctly, is as mentally stimulating as any other game of skill. It reinforces basic math skills, and can build character and confidence in those teens who are not physical enough to play on the varsity team.
I hosted a small home tourney last year, and one player brought his 16-year old cousin to the game. I was reticent about allowing an underage player, but decided that if it was ok with everyone else, and he had the $20 for the buy-in, it was ok by me. He wasn't going to lose more than $20, and could even win. Although he was relatively new to the game, he ended up winning 1st place, and everyone agreed that he played reasonably well (he made a couple of dubious calls, but won on them, so who am I to judge?). I did not the feeling afterwards that I had created some sort of gambling addict frankenstein.
My local gaming store hosts tournaments for "magic: the gathering" and "yu-gi-oh" every friday and saturday. These tournaments usually have a $11 entry fee. The store keeps a dollar and puts the rest into a prize pool. The winner gets the prize pool's value in store credit. I regularly see kids as young as 8 or 9 playing. Is there really that much of a difference between playing a collectible card game for store credit and playing poker for a prize pool? I don't think so. In addition, how different is opening a $3 pack of random cards looking for a black lotus or whatever, from buying an instant lotto ticket. Some individual cards, after all, are sold for $100 or more on ebay.
On the other hand, for some teens (and adults too), the risk of addiction is significant. In addiition, a majority players at the lower limits do not play well or even express interest in learning to play well. And I imagine that most teens playing poker have little to no understanding of some of the basic strategic principles of the game. I think this is very unfortunate for both the players involved (who will eventually get fleeced) and the long-term viability of this poker craze.
As someone who is sensitive to the issues of mental illness and instability, I think it is dangerous that opportunity to gamble over the internet is so easy. I, personally, think that one of the solutions to this issue is the legalization of more forms of gambling, including poker, in communities across the united states. If it were easy for me to find a safe and secure poker room in my own community, I'd be far less inclined to play in the nameless and faceless world of the internet. And a licensed poker room or casino would have the responsibility of ensuring that those not of age are not allowed to play, I have never encountered a casino web site that had any kind of adequate age control, as anyone with a bank account can open a neteller account, and anyone with a neteller account can gamble.
Mugwump
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He took every cent of his savings on a trip to the local track
He got a tip from a friend, bet it all down to win on a horse named Heart Attack.
Well now he ain't no fool boys, he didn't bet it all
So everything was cool when that horse took a fall
But then he turned around and blew the rest trying to win it all back...
<Todd Snider - "Easy Money">
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Originally Posted by Mugwump
(I mean the article). I generally share his opinion on the issue. Just wonder why the publicity/authorities are that quiet... 
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