UK schools should incorporate gambling into their curricula much as they educate students on the realities of sex, alcohol and drug use, according to a new study.

Last week, independent educational charity Demos released the results of a two-year pilot education program intended to give students the tools they need to recognize the risks of gambling, as well as teaching them how to resist some of the more persistent come-ons of gambling marketing.

The program, which was sponsored in part by the industry-funded GambleAware charity, involved 650 14-year-old students across four schools in 2016. The program covered a range of ‘risky behaviors,’ including gambling. The intent was to encourage students to “weigh risk, identify manipulative behavior, manage impulses and help others” who experienced problems saying ‘when.’

One year after the program, Demos claimed to have observed a net decline of 7% in the number of pupils who copped to playing cards for money in the previous year versus the comparison group. There was also a net 3% decline in the number of ‘at risk’ students who admitted engaging in four or more types of gambling activities over the same period.