My teenage son asked me this question and I hit the roof

This mother of a teenager was prepared for all the questions about sex, alcohol and drugs. But this one caught her off guard

Well done, online gambling industry, you’ve done it.

Last night my 15-year-old son asked me if he could open a Bet 365 account to put money on the results of the footy games he loves to watch. He needed me to do it for him because technically, it’s illegal to have one if you’re under 18. Just like it’s technically illegal to drink if you’re under 18. Or have sex until you’re 16.

But lots of his friends have accounts and it’s catching on among teens.

Because as we all know, teens have never been prepared to wait to do anything they really want to do.  So it is now with sports gambling and I am incandescent with rage.

I am furious that the evil, insidious marketing and advertising campaign by the betting industry to brainwash us into believing that gambling is an intrinsic part of sport has succeeded. I am furious that despite claims they would only market to adults, the tentacles of gambling advertising have aggressively reached out into every form of media including prime time and daytime broadcasts of games and websites where fans of all ages go.

I am furious that kids now believe there is no point watching their favourite teams play unless they have money riding on the result. I am furious that kids are now being fooled into believing gambling is a fun, easy way to make money. Why would you get a part-time job after school that pays the award wage of $7.70 an hour when you can earn the same amount sitting on the couch watching sport?

There are kids at my son’s school who have managed to create accounts with gambling enablers such as Bet 365 and, like the first taste of a drug, they’ve found the experience extremely enjoyable. "Try it!" they're urging their friends. "It's such easy cash!"

Like hell it is.

Science has emphatically confirmed what parents of teenagers have always known: kids are not able to comprehend the concept of consequence. When you’re 15 or 16 or even 20, the part of your brain that can weigh up the risk and reward of a particular action is nowhere near fully developed. It’s psychologically impossible for teenagers to understand why gambling is an addictive and potentially life-destroying activity.

But by combining the promise of easy money with sport, you’ve managed to appeal to the most vulnerable aspects of young people and particularly young boys:  their desire for instant gratification and their love of sport.

Obviously, my answer to my son’s request for at Bet 365 account was a resounding ‘no’. The words "When hell freezes over” were used. But he had his arguments ready. "It will help me learn about how it works," he offered. "It will teach me about the value of money and I'll only be betting a small amount and it will be my own money!"

Not while you're living in my house. Not when you're 15 years old.

But in three years, it will be legal. And none of us can undo the insidious, evil brainwashing that's been done on this generation by an industry hell-bent on getting them addicted and taking their money.

I feel powerless and devastated by the way the gambling industry has reached my child. So I'll be signing this petition and I urge you to do the same - share this post with your friends on social media because it's only a matter of time before your kids ask you the same question that rocked my world.

How would you respond if your teenager asked you this question? How do you talk to your kids about gambling?