College students drawn to online casino
The number of male college students who admit to gambling online regularly has quadrupled since 2000, thanks to the increasing number of online casinos. The students, who enjoy an extensive amount of freedom from their parents and access to credit cards and money, are showing signs of addiction. They find themselves in debt, and see no other way of getting out of it, aside from playing some more. Add that to the bombardment of online casino operators who offer free tuition, but it doesn’t stop there. Online casinos offer enticing welcome bonuses together with frequent player points that can buy you IPods and clothing. Additional chips are also awarded at a number of sites, if only you recruit another player. There are serious concerns about repeating the 'Hogan Scenario', an incident which occurred last year involving a college student and online poker player who found himself in debt and decided to rob a bank.
Many support the upcoming legislation to make online casino poker illegal, thus removing the temptation for students and others to gamble. The bill that was passed last month would make it illegal for US credit card companies to process payments for online casinos. The Senate has not yet voted on it. Thing is, even if legislation passes, there are still many ways to pay for online chips, wire transfers and Internet-based payment processors, for instance.
