“Taking an Online Gamble”

The online gambling trend seems to be growing more quickly among the young adult population and college students are no exception to this group. In fact, researchers have estimated that approximately five percent of college students have severe gambling problems, with about 15% showing signs of a gambling problem. Moreover, since most colleges are reluctant to get involved in monitoring and regulating what students do on their own time, the students have become excellent targets for Internet gambling businesses. No doubt, with no regulations in place and such easy access to the sites (all someone has to do to play is wire his money to an online account), online gambling operators are well aware of their appeal to college students.

A campus addiction to online gambling is similar to another addiction, also seen on campus all too often, the addiction to alcohol. Both addictions are considered relatively minor vices and both are hard to control and regulate. To complicate matters, the online gambling industry is essentially unregulated since the activity itself is illegal (an activity that is illegal to begin with cannot be regulated). The sites themselves must operate from other countries where gambling is not prohibited, which makes monitoring even more difficult.

The lack of monitoring and regulations and the ease with which one can access and play online poker make it almost impossible to stop college students from gambling. Obviously, this does not mean that all college students are problem gamblers, but some definitely are and something has to be done to address the problem. Unfortunately, a gambling addiction is especially difficult to treat because it is an embarrassing habit and can reach very destructive levels.

State lawmakers have at least made an attempt to combat the problem by introducing SB 5037, which is supposed to fund treatment for problem gambling and SB 5878, which would prohibit online gambling altogether. However, most doubt the passage of either bill.

Presently, if students need help with their gambling addiction or if anyone, for that matter needs help with a gambling addiction, they can contact Gamblers Anonymous at the Washing State Council on Problem Gambling at www.wscpg.org.