Administrators Must Take Heed

With the increase of Indian casinos in California and the accessibility to sports betting on the Internet, gambling on college campuses has increased by 50% over the last three years, according to the California Council on Problem Gambling Inc. TRACY JOHNSON spoke with a gambling expert about the problem.

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TOM TUCKER

President, California Council on Problem Gambling Inc.

College gambling is a serious problem that needs to be addressed by college officials. One of the most serious problems that results from gambling in the college community is suicide. It’s estimated that there were at least 10 to 15 suicides on college campuses in California in 1998 as a result of gambling.

College gambling also can lead to criminal activity. The people who are gambling are likely to borrow more money than they can repay, steal from their fellow students or get involved in scams.

In college, there is so much emphasis on competition, on honoring the school’s name that it puts a lot of pressure on sports teams to perform. The players are required to live up to an extraordinary ideal. If the athletes are gamblers, they might do something like point shaving, which is to alter the outcome of the game or fix the point spread. Sometimes players will fix a game because they personally are under pressure from a bookie to whom they owe money.

Colleges in California need to get in touch with organizations and gambling counselors and establish written policies on college gambling. But they also need to establish programs to intervene when students get in trouble. Campuses must create the same kind of preventive education programs that they have for drugs and alcohol. For help or information call (800) 522-4700 or (760) 320-0234.