College Gambling Problem?

I have noticed the trend of postings on this blog with topics about drugs, alcohol, or tobacco. But it may be true that we have forgotten about the rate of college students with gambling problems, along with their other addictions. In a recent article on msn.com (http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Retirementandwills/Retireinstyle/P111043.asp), researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that one in ten college seniors could be classified as "at-risk" gamblers. These were students who have made bets of more than one hundred dollars, which begins the cycle of compulsive gambling, which can easily ruin a person's life. The amount of compulsive gamblers in the U.S. was found at about one to two percent of the population, mostly composed of older adults and retirees. But gambling in college is not something to pass over. With the recent rise in the popularity of poker, fueled by the constant television programs and internet poker rooms, college students have fed into the fad with dormroom pickup games or trips to the local casino. Actually, the researchers found seventy percent of the sample of seniors had gambled in some way in the past year. These results may not be shocking, but it is interesting in how closely we pay attention to the number of students with problems of substance abuse rather then how compulsive gamblers are born. I recently watched a show on the Discovery Channel about a man whose life had been ruined by gambling, starting with a love of blackjack he discovered as a college senior. These stories and statistics should make us aware of how serious gambling problems are, as well as pointing out how hard it is to win. As college students we should make sure not to make the fun of pickup games a part of our lifestyles.