This is a very good TV movie about the perils of gambling and the addiction of compulsive gambling, especially if you happen to be a teenager.

The main character in this film starts out (as they usually do in these things) as a winner at gambling on the Internet and at school, where she gambles on sports. She runs into difficulty (as they usually do in these things) when she starts losing. In one disturbing scene - the best scene in the film - she winds up at the home of a very strange couple. Without much dialogue, there is a very real sense of impending danger and sleaze. Truly excellent.

Elisha Cuthbert does a great job as the losing teen who just can't quit. The rest of the cast is very strong as well. The lovely Sherry Miller, who plays Cuthbert's mother, always reminds me of a blond Mary Tyler Moore.

I watched this movie thinking it was going to be a classic story of a gambler who takes apart the casinos in Las Vegas. Boy, was I wrong!

What a downer movie this was. And I kept watching, thinking there would be vindication at the end - but instead of getting better, it was worse!

And strangely, I liked the ending - which, made me feel that much worse about myself.

On the other hand, I believe when art invokes strong emotion, good or bad, that art must be very good. So, I suppose this movie is good for making me feel like a terrible dirty old man...

Katlin Palmerston (Elisha Cuthbert) is a math-whiz high school student from a middle class home. She starts gambling to save up for an European trip with best friend Cheryl. She takes money from the girls at poker and the boys with football. She even sets up her own betting pool. With a run of bad luck and bad bets, she is in deep trouble. Popular girl Janice's sketchy brother Ron Lunderman sets up a poker game. Katlin wins big and starts dating Ron. The computer gambling continues and everything spirals out of control. She borrows from the wrong couple and they have a creepy way to settle the debt. Her mother (Sherry Miller) rides to the rescue.

This is very much a lesson-filled movie of the week. It's basic and overtly dramatic. There is an inevitability to the plot. Elisha Cuthbert is what shines in this movie. She shows her beauty and her charisma. She's also young enough and pretty close to the 17 year old character. It helps to make it more real and visceral. The last act is quite creepy and unforgettable. It would help to have more original twists but this is strictly a "very special episode" of whatever teen soap.