Colleges across the country are ill-prepared to assist students with gambling problems, and most don’t have established gambling policies, according to a new report.
Citing research from a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, the report says that nearly half of college students gambled during the past year, yet only 22 percent of colleges have a written policy on gambling and less than 30 percent have treatment guidelines.
“The lack of attention to gambling is disquieting in view of the increased availability of gambling opportunities and the greater susceptibility of young people to gambling problems than adults,” states the report by the Task Force on College Gambling Policies.
The report was funded by the National Center for Responsible Gaming, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that receives the bulk of its money from the casino industry.
The center is holding its annual road tour in Central City and Denver today and Friday. Its staff is meeting with state regulators, counselors, college administrators and others. The gambling task force of mostly higher- education professionals, including University of Denver assistant clinical professor Karin Dittrick-Nathan, will present recommendations on policies.
This summer, Colorado eased gambling regulations to allow casinos to stay open 24 hours, raise the bet limit and add craps and roulette table games. Casino operators have said the changes are helping them attract a younger crowd.
“I would be very surprised if there wasn’t an increase in the number of people with problems,” said J. Mi chael Faragher, director of the Problem Gambling Treatment and Research Center at DU.
Researchers say that about 2 percent of the adult population develops gambling disorders. The rate may be as high as 6 percent for college students, according to studies cited in the task force’s report.
“One third of all the calls I get come from young people between the ages of 12 and 25 — from them or their parents,” said compulsive gambling counselor Arnie Wexler who runs the treatment hotline, 888-LAST-BET. “Most of them are playing poker.”
The gambling task force encourages colleges to establish policies that educate students on the legalities of various forms of gambling, such as Internet, casino and sports betting. The task force also suggests colleges dissuade student groups from hosting “casino nights” and other gambling- related fundraisers.
The majority of existing policies at colleges are blanket prohibition policies, said Christine Reilly, a member of the task force.
Colleges with NCAA-sanctioned sports teams have gambling guidelines that cover student athletes.
But the University of Colorado at Boulder and Colorado State University do not have a separate gambling policy covering the general student population. CU-Boulder prohibits gambling in its residence halls under its code of conduct. Gambling is lumped in with a section that also covers “running a business.”
Both CU and CSU say they have addiction-counseling services. Even though DU has a gambling-specific treatment center, it, too, does not have established guidelines. Faragher said the school has a task force in place to implement a policy.
Andy Vuong: 303-954-1209 or avuong@denverpost.com
Where students bet
25%
Lotteries
20%
Casino gambling
12%
Cards and dice
11%
Pro sports
9%
College sports
4%
Horse and dog racing
2%
Internet gambling