This is the last bet, I swear!

A Column By Alex Hall

It’s just so easy. You type in your credit card number, click a few buttons and within a matter of minutes you’re ready to start betting, even if you’re still wearing the Vikings colored Zubaz and Saved By the Bell T-shirt you wore to bed last night.

The variety of things to bet on is astounding. You can bet on everything from basketball games to horse races, from boxing matches to the NFL draft. You can even bet on who’s going to be the next person kicked off of American Idol. But, perhaps the most popular game to bet on is poker. Given this generation’s apparent addictive personality and preference for convenience, it comes as no surprise that college students have become the biggest victims of online gambling.

Alex Hall

Ever since poker experienced an explosion of popularity in the early 2000’s, students have been quick to throw money at these gambling sites, hoping to make loads of cash without ever leaving the comfort of their computer chair.

While there have been a few success stories in which college students claim to have won a year’s worth of tuition and sometimes more, more often than not online gambling leaves students further in debt than they could even imagine.

Personally, I’ve had a few experiences in the realm of online gambling.
I was turned on to it by a close friend of mine and encouraged by another who told me he had won hundreds of dollars already in sports betting.

The second friend told me that as long as I was pretty knowledgeable about sports, which I was confident that I was, I would do just fine.

One thing was for sure, one of us was very wrong.

Here’s a quick tip for those of you planning on becoming a compulsive gambler, which I strongly advise against, whatever you feel would be the smartest bet, do the complete opposite.
I’m not sure if that strategy actually works, but after throwing away wads of money and popping a fair amount of blood vessels in my brain, I can’t help but think that it would have worked for me.

Here’s another quick tip. Don’t bet on the Timberwolves. Ever. Here’s the final quick tip. If you don’t have the heart to bet against your favorite teams, don’t bet at all. I refused to bet against any of my favorite teams.

I also refused to bet on any team I hated, which apparently makes up about half the teams in every league. Needless to say, that strategy didn’t work out too well for me.

What I learned most in my two-month foray into the world of online gambling was just how addictive it can be. Given, I have a more addictive personality than a Robert Downey Jr. and Amy Winehouse lovechild.

But even so, I never thought I could feel so dependant on the thrill of gambling.

I didn’t even start playing online poker, which is said to be even more addictive. But as soon as I would lose a bet at night, I would rush back to computer hoping there was still another game to bet on.

Many times it would be late, so I would end up having to bet on who would score more points in the second half of a basketball game. After a couple of nights of making illogical late night bets, I decided it was time to quit.

I had abstained for almost a month, but then baseball season had started and I felt compelled to start betting again, especially on the Twins. After all, if the Twins had won, I’d then have two reasons to celebrate. However, after a few more weeks of money being flushed away, I decided it was time to quit. Again.

I haven’t bet in three weeks, and I don’t plan on ever gambling online again.

This whole experience has opened my eyes to just how dangerous, destructive and addictive online gambling can be, especially among college students.

The most recent U.S. Census estimates that anywhere between 8 and 20 percent of college students have had to deal with a gambling problem.

It’s addictive in much of the same way that Internet porn is addictive, because it’s just so easy to do it. Forgive the cliché, but it’s literally right at your fingertips.

Many lawmakers are trying to make it harder for people to place bets online, but because many of these gambling sites are based in foreign countries, it’s extremely hard to regulate.

So it’s my hope that colleges and universities begin educating their students on the dangers of online gambling much in the way that they educate about binge drinking and safe sex.

Some have already begun educating students on the issue, but there are still many colleges who have failed to address the problem.

I may have escaped relatively unscathed, but there are still way too many students gambling away their future. I may not be a very gifted gambler, but at least I know that ignoring this problem isn’t a safe bet for anyone.