Wednesday, September 20, 2006

The Web sites are getting some big numbers and young visitors, and there
have been reports of some servers just unplugging and taking people's money
without ever being heard from again. In a one-week period, more than half a
million gamblers ages 14 to 22 go online to wage real-money bets. For many,
it can quickly become an expensive -- and dangerous -- addiction, gambling
experts say. A Lehigh University sophomore and son of a pastor racked up
more than $5,000 in Internet gambling debt and became so desperate he robbed
a bank. His father said he was blindsided by his son's Internet gambling
addiction. "I think all parents should sit down and discuss adult life away
from home with their kids," the father said. "Most parents give a credit
card for emergencies, but that's not always a wise decision." But it's not
just credit cards that can be trouble, as there are as many as 30 different
payment options. Some students have turned to tuition grant money to feed
their habit. Others steal from friends and family and sell off personal
possessions.

For some players, the addiction starts with playing with fake money. Some
said that when they started playing with real money, they became worse
players because they were nervous.

Students, especially men, say a lot of games and ads are geared to them.

Two former college students who saw the gambling grip take hold of friends
online decided to come up with software to block poker play from computers.
For $5 a month, ProblemPoker.com prevents online gambling by blocking an
opportunity to wager on a personal computer. The creators said they would
like to see colleges target online gambling the way they monitor drinking,
drug use and hazing.