Online Poker Addiction and College Students

by mitchell posted Dec 27th 2005 at 14:00PM

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With the recent explosion of online poker, I think the question needs to be asked; Is online poker addiction becoming a growing problem on college campuses? I think the answer to this is a clear yes. As poker affiliates we all love to see new players entering the market, however w also know how possible it is for young and imature players to lose everything with the simple click of a mouse.

Although online poker addiction is not a hot subject right now, I think that the topic will become an increasingly larger issue in the coming months and years. I just read last week about a college player who robbed a bank to pay off online poker debts. Unfortunately poker is a game of skill and many younger players have delusions that they can "beat" the game. Let us not forget that almost 90% of all online poker players are losing players.

I remember how irresponsible I was just with credit cards in college. Thank god internet poker wasn't around yet. So back to the original. question. Is online poker addiction a problem that is spreading amongst colllege campuses? I'm not sure, but stories like the one below are popping up more and more lately.

Studies: Gambling by teens climbing
The Cincinnati Enquirer - John Johnston

It takes more than luck to win at Texas Hold 'em, Eric Rothman says, which is why the 18-year-old high school senior enjoys putting his poker-playing skills to the test.

For classmate Buzzy Adriatico, 17, poker's appeal is "the adrenaline ... of (having) a big hand."

"Looking down at a good hand is a great feeling," agrees Josh Morgan, 19, a University of Cincinnati student. "And winning money is good, too."

Seven teenage friends gathered at Rothman's Batavia, Ohio, home recently and plunked down $10 apiece to play the popular poker game.

Such scenes have become common, and there are few regulations that prohibit such friendly games.

National studies show the number of young people gambling on poker and other card games has skyrocketed in recent years, but while poker is a harmless diversion for most teens, experts caution the risks of gambling addiction are being overlooked.

"Most people can drink and they don't become alcoholics. Most people can gamble and they don't become compulsive gamblers," says Dr. Lori Rugle, a clinical psychologist and president of the Ohio Council on Problem Gambling.

"But for that small percentage, which is comparable to the percentage that develops serious drug problems — (gambling addiction) is a life-threatening disorder." She says about one-fourth of people in compulsive-gambling treatment programs attempt suicide.

Michael R. Stone, executive director of the Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling, says studies have shown nearly 4 percent of teens are pathological, or compulsive, gamblers.

In any given week in this country, about 2.9 million people ages 14-22 are gambling on cards, and more than 80 percent are male, according to a report released this fall by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, which has tracked teen gambling rates for several years.

The center's recent survey of 900 young people found that almost 42 percent of males say they gamble on cards at least once a month. That's up 20 percent from summer 2004. (The survey's margin of error was plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.)

Rugle and Stone say few parents take potential gambling problems seriously.

"Most parents know you don't sponsor beer parties," Rugle says. "But they're happy as clams to sponsor poker parties. They just don't appreciate the risks of it.

"(Gambling) is not a risk-free activity, but the government supports it, the church (games like bingo) supports it and now it's being glamorized on TV," Rugle says.

Cable channels bring poker tournaments — and savvy poker veterans — into homes nationwide. Last year, 2.8 percent of cable TV households watched the World Series of Poker finale on ESPN; it outdrew almost all other programming on the network except NFL, baseball playoffs and high-profile college football and basketball games.

Watching Texas Hold 'em on TV sparked Eric Rothman's interest in the game. His father, Larry Rothman, says teens "know these (TV poker) players like they know baseball players."

Eric asked his parents' permission before he began playing poker a couple of years ago. Last summer, a group of about 15 friends sometimes held games two to three times a week.

"I think we all like to think we're in control of our gambling habits," Eric says.

His father says the low $10 buy-in "makes it a little more comfortable in my mind."

He adds: "They could do a lot worse things than sitting in my house playing cards for five hours on a Saturday night."

Some experts agree.

Dr. Karen Gail Lewis, a marriage and family therapist, says she wouldn't condemn poker simply because it's a form of gambling. So is playing marbles, she notes. But it's important, she says, that parents watch for signs that a teen's poker playing has become a problem.

Warning signs include:

Spending undue amounts of time gambling.
Withdrawing from friends and family.
Losing interest in other activities.
Having less (or more) money than normal.
Becoming secretive.
Concerned parents should seek a therapist's help, experts say.

Rugle says Texas Hold 'em probably is not any more dangerous than other forms of gambling, "but I think it's a gateway" that can lead to serious problems.

Warning signs

The following test for youths is from the McGill University International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors in Montreal. Answering "yes" to four or more questions might indicate a gambling problem; in that case, call a gambling help line or see a therapist.
Do you find yourself thinking about gambling activities at odd times of the day and-or planning the next time you play?
Do you find the need to spend more and more money on gambling activities?
Do you become restless, tense, fed-up or bad-tempered when trying to cut down on or stop gambling?
Do you ever gamble as a way of escaping problems?
After spending money on gambling activities, do you play again another day to try to win your money back?
Do you lie to your family and friends to hide how much you gamble?
In the past year, have you spent your lunch money or money for bus fares on gambling activities?
In the past year, have you taken money from someone you live with, without their knowing, to gamble?
In the past year, have you stolen money from outside the family or shoplifted to gamble?
Have you fallen out with members of your family or close friends because of your gambling behavior?
In the past year, have you missed school to participate in gambling experiences (five times or more)?
In the past year, have you gone to someone for help with a serious money worry caused by participation in gambling activities?

If your a poker affiliate and have a player who you think is suffering with online poker addiction or has a compulsive gambling problem, do the right thing and talk to them about it. You will be a better person and a more valuable member of this industry if you help a fellow player than simply allow them to ruin their lives through gambling addictions.