2008 Woodie Awards
Illini Media
WPGU
buzz
Illio
TechnographStudents weigh the price of gambling
By Sarah Small
Posted: 9/26/08 Section: News
|
Johnson turned 18 his first day at the University as a freshman, and during his first days on campus, he won $3,000. He cashed out $1,000 of this and lost $2,000. Since the first time he played an online poker tournament, Johnson has experienced the ups and downs of winning and losing.
"It's a euphoria that you can't describe unless you're there," Johnson said.
John Kindt, a professor in business administration who has done extensive research regarding gambling, said a big problem on college campuses is online gambling because students do not even realize it is illegal.
"Every year I ask my classes if gambling online is a federal crime, and there are still students who do not know this," Kindt said. "Gambling online is totally, 100 percent illegal. No exceptions."
About 2 percent of the adult population are addicted to gambling, or have a high affinity to become addicted to gambling, Kindt said. The percentage of young people, between the ages of 18 and 26, is even higher, at 4 to 6 percent.
"In high school classes, they tell you about drugs and alcohol, but they don't tell it's easy to get hooked on gambling," Kindt said.
"There are students getting hooked and don't realize the addictive behavior. Parents need to know students are in danger of losing their tuition money."
Johnson said he sees a connection between online gambling Web sites and the University.
In the past, he has been invited to high-stakes games at apartments on campus.
He estimates that on any weekend, there are probably about five or six high-stake games around campus. For such games, players are usually required to bring about $500 to the table.
"I never went to anything because it's very, very shady," Johnson said. "I don't trust a lot of poker players because when you're dealing with that much money, it's easy to get involved in the wrong things."
Men are more interested in gambling than women and often start with sport gambling, Kindt said.
Some of the most popular sporting events to bet on are NFL and college football games, but it is possible to bet on any sporting event.
The Daily Illini encourages on-topic discussion through article commenting on its articles and blogs. It is our policy not to delete any comments based upon political or ideological point of view. However, we reserve the right to remove comments that are abusive, off-topic or use excessive foul language.
The posting of copyrighted material, including any and all content for which you are not the author, is illegal under Federal intellectual property laws. Such activity will not be tolerated. Comments containing copyrighted material will be removed, and continued violation of copyright law is grounds for being banned completely from commenting on DailyIllini.com.
If you feel any post meets these conditions or merits review, please e-mail our editors at meonline@dailyillini.com.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 23
MC
posted 9/26/08 @ 1:17 PM CST
"You can't force them to pay because you're gambling illegally." I do not think Prof. Kindt's statements are accurate. At least in the instance of online poker, it is considered a game of "skill" and not chance. (Continued…)
Jeff Stoiber
posted 9/26/08 @ 1:49 PM CST
I'm glad two people, Sarah Small and John Kindt, could collaborate on such a biased article. It probably isn't Sarah's fault; she could very well have been brainwashed by John Kindt's astounding ignorance. (Continued…)
David
posted 9/26/08 @ 1:54 PM CST
For all this "extensive" research. Prof. Kindt has NO idea what he is talking about. Yes, gambling can be addictive to a select few. However in the example of poker, it is NOT gambling. (Continued…)
shane hahn
posted 9/26/08 @ 2:01 PM CST
Wow, how do u print an article that is so false and states so many false statements as facts. Your paper should be embarrassed that u actually published this. (Continued…)
Jason
posted 9/26/08 @ 2:36 PM CST
There's a lot of things that are wrong with this article, so let me start at the top. I'll explain what's wrong first, and then I'll explain why it's wrong after I make my points:
1. (Continued…)
Jennifer Sullivan
posted 9/26/08 @ 3:45 PM CST
"Every year I ask my classes if gambling online is a federal crime, and there are still students who do not know this," Kindt said. "Gambling online is totally, 100 percent illegal. (Continued…)
Jennifer Sullivan
posted 9/26/08 @ 3:49 PM CST
In addition, let's not forget that online poker is a game of skill, like backgammon. It's a game that you can beat. It is very, very much unlike blackjack, roulette, slots, or craps. (Continued…)
Matt Barker
posted 9/26/08 @ 4:59 PM CST
Does the Daily Illini normally condone publishing flat out lies that pose as facts? Journalistic organizations, even student-run ones, have a duty to report information to their readers in a fair and factual manner. (Continued…)
MC
posted 9/26/08 @ 5:20 PM CST
I agree that poker should not be lumped in with blackjack, the lottery, or other casino games. I would still consider playing poker gambling; you are placing bets based on a chance of winning. (Continued…)
Dean
posted 9/26/08 @ 9:24 PM CST
This article is extremely biased and not even factual.
There are differences between gambling (slots, blackjack, craps, etc.) and poker. Poker isn't play against the house and has plenty of skill based on your outcome. (Continued…)
Post a Comment