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New Jersey Compulsive Gambling Council Concerned About Increased Gambling

Gambling is becoming prevalent in high schools and colleges, and even in corporate offices. The NCAA's cooperation in contests, such as Pepsi's ``Under the Bottlecap'' campaign, has compounded this growing problem, in spite of their claims to being against gambling on college campuses.

``Some young people start betting at 10 -11 years old. They gamble on cards, dice, and video games between friends, but the real problematic gambling starts in high school when they are exposed to sports betting,'' Looney stated.

By the time they reach college, sports bettors have relationships with illegal bookmakers. In a recent survey conducted at a New Jersey state college, 39% of students projected they would bet on March Madness. Among the participants, 24% indicated that they had previously wagered on college basketball.

An additional cause for concern is the amount of Internet wagering taking place. ``It is a growing activity for high school and college students,'' states deputy director Kevin O'Neill. Estimates indicate Internet gambling to be a multi-billion dollar business and growing. There are currently over 1,000 offshore betting sites, over 400 of which take sports bets from gamblers. ``College sports bettors will be jumping online this season to try their luck on these sports betting sites,'' said O'Neill.

For those who have never gambled before, betting on March Madness could have a seriously negative effect. Seemingly harmless office pools often introduce the excitement of gambling to the five or eight percent of the population who cannot handle social gambling. Many times, a company sanctioned office pool is the first experience a person has with gambling. Some of the adolescents and adults who gamble on these games will become addicted to ``the action.'' The thrill of sometimes winning can lead to problem or compulsive gambling. Without treatment, their lives will become progressively worse.

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