US Task Force Assembled to Reduce College Gambling

Written by Haylie | Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

A new problem that has arisen on college campuses across the US is online gambling. At first it was poker, then casinos, and now it’s a free-for-all in the eyes of the collegiate administration, who believe it is an epidemic taking over the students. Being that the gambling age of big US casino cities is 21; however, the gambling age in other states with or without casinos ranges from 16 to 21-years-old. Therefore, depending on the location of the college, there are many instances where gambling is actually a less illegal alternative to drinking for students under the age of 21. There really isn’t any reason drinking should be going on at college campuses, except by seniors (hahaha), but gambling at nearby casinos or even easier, online, is just too tempting to students over cracking open the textbooks.

The concern surrounding this issue has resulted in the formation of a national task force with a sole mission to reduce the activity of online gambling on college campuses. There have already been numerous policies put into place and rules restricting on-campus gambling at some colleges. However, other campuses remain seemingly less concerned. For example, a northern Florida community college prohibits gambling on school grounds, but at the same time, an area remains designated for card play. This school denies that they have a problem and had outlawed any gambling activity long before the Task Force on College Gambling was enacted.

Online gambling just makes for even easier access for students attending those colleges that aren’t near local casinos. Even sports betting is a big pastime for college-aged kids, but it seems like a much better alternative to drinking and doing drugs. States like Arkansas have even banned students from having lotto tickets in their possession. What all of this means for the online gambling community is that there may be some resistance to any progress that would have otherwise been made in the fight to regulate online gambling. Like many blips in the saga that is the legalization of online gambling in the US, only time will tell.

Resources:

http://www.usaplayers.com/news/2009/gambling/october/anti-gambling-compaign-starts-in-colleges-across-the-united-states-11567.html

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