“Gambling on College Students”

The ease with which people can play online poker these days has created a serious problem on college campuses. Researchers are saying that 5% of college students have a gambling problem, a phenomenon that is going to be particularly hard to root out given the illegal, and thus non-regulate-able, nature of online poker.

In the past, the biggest addiction problem college campuses had to cope with was alcohol addiction. Today, however, another addiction is prevalent on campuses – online gambling – and it is no easier to treat or eradicate. College administrators do not want to get involved in monitoring what students are doing in their free time, and even if they wanted to, it would be virtually impossible to place limits or regulations on an activity that is illegal in the first place. Online gambling operators, knowing the appeal online poker holds for the young adult population, are taking advantage of this soft underbelly of the poker-playing world.

All a student has to do to play is wire his money to an online account and play. It is the ease itself that is problematic, since a young person can quickly become addicted to the excitement of gambling and be unable to stop himself when he should. There can be great embarrassment surrounding this addiction, especially as the situation spirals out of control and becomes destructive. Certainly there are plenty of college students who don’t have a problem in this area, though researchers say that in addition to the 5% who do, there is another 15% who show signs of developing problems.

Knowing that something must be done to address this recent phenomenon, state lawmakers have introduced two bills. One, SB5037, would fund treatment for gambling addictions. The other, SB5878, would simply prohibit online gambling. There is not much hope, however, that either bill would pass. In the meantime, gamblers who think they have a problem are encouraged to contact Gamblers Anonymous at the Washington State Council on Problem Gambling. Their website is www.wscpg.org.