Gambling on Campus - You Bet!

Heading home for vacation, most students look forward to seeing their parents, visiting friends, and relaxing. For a growing number of students, though, vacation is a chance to head out in a different direction. For many students, gambling, both on and off campus, has become a popular diversion. This development is worrisome to concerned friends and administrators who fear that the recent trend may develop into something more serious.

The Commentator set out to examine student attitudes and concerns about both organized gambling and similar games. While administrators spoke freely about their concerns, most students were reluctant to be quoted by name, some worried about offending their friends and others out of fear. For this reason, the names mentioned herein have been changed.

David, tired of simple vacations and uneventful weekends, noted the standard complaint. "YU can get boring, so I decided to go have some fun." With an open mind and an open wallet, he drove to Atlantic City, the East Coast's Mecca of casino gambling, for a day of excitement.

"I went to Atlantic City having read a lot about gambling. I went for a day, and for fun I put a little money in it; I ended up cashing out with $250. About two days later I went back, lost a little bit, and then I was going back constantly and I kept on losing."

The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey [800-GAMBLER] emphasizes the stages a gambler follows. There is a four-stage sequence after which one may be considered a "compulsive" gambler. During the winning phase, the individual gambles occasionally and may frequently find himself on the winning side. Though success seems to come easily at this stage and self-confidence abounds, the good times are only temporary.

"It doesn't make any mathematical sense, but beginner's luck sometimes does work. When you go into a casino for the first time, you may win right away," David said. "But when you continue going, you start losing, and you simply think, 'I'll get that money back again.'" This self-confidence evolves into arrogance, the losing stage prevails, and the gambler begins to borrow money from friends. Restlessness and irritability mark the second phase, as the gambler begins to lose track of his responsibilities.

Here is the trap that lures gamblers. With the odds stacked against them, they fail to note previous losses, focusing instead on their winnings as a sign that success may not be hard to come by. Forgetting earlier losses, the gambler is easily fooled into thinking that he will soon win again.

With the onset of the third and final stages, which bring the gambler to desperation, there is a marked increase in the time spent gambling accompanied by noticeable alienation from friends and family. After hitting rock bottom, the compulsive gambler deals with hopelessness, suicidal thoughts, emotional breakdown, and withdrawal, seeing gambling as the sole means available to escape reality.

Dean of Students Dr. Efrem Nulman echoed the motivations of students. "Like any other addiction, gambling starts out being fun and competitive," he explained. "People believe it is potentially moneymaking, but of course they don't want to focus on the fact that it's also potentially destructive financially. As you get in deeper and deeper, your pockets get emptier and emptier.

"Some of it has to do with one's self-esteem, with one's perception of oneself, with one's values or moral limitations in life. But some perfectly moral people get into gambling innocently, and once they get into it, they don't know what they're predisposed to do," Nulman explained.

College students nationwide have been criticized of late by the media for their gambling tendencies; from innocent card playing and sports pools to casino gambling, lotteries, horse racing, and bingo. Review articles have focused on the widespread availability of gambling venues, both legal and illegal, enticing young adults to break out of the innocence of their youth, luring them to the potential vices of gambling. YU administrators feel that gambling is far less prevalent here than it is at most other universities. Still, gambling is recognized as a major problem on campus affecting a significant percentage of the student body.

"Gambling is a problem right now on all college campuses, particularly involving sports. I think that gambling on the Yeshiva University campus is, statistically speaking, much less of a problem than it is at most schools. I have no doubt about that," Nulman emphasized. "It exists, but I think it has to be very carefully watched. And since we as an institution are aware of it, we are going to do everything we can to stop it."

No specific school policies deal with student gambling other than the Student Handbook's prohibition of gambling specifically on the YU campus. Additionally, the general code of conduct mandates the requirement to comport one's self in accordance with the ideals of YU. Recently, however, the administration has established a program aimed at promoting awareness of the potential dangers of gambling. Still, many students feel that the administration has not done an adequate job of lessening gambling among the student body, which some feel has become rampant.

Mark, a frequent gambler, said, "Students gamble all the time here at YU, because it's fun and exciting. Gambling is officially forbidden and is frowned upon by some, but as far as a real school-wide effort to confront the issue, nothing like that has been done to stop gamblers."

As a result of this Commentator inquiry, the Athletics Department has started planning an anti-gambling campaign. As Division III members of the NCAA, all intercollegiate athletes face strict penalties both for themselves and for the school's NCAA athletic program if caught gambling. Having already conducted a meeting with the basketball team about the consequences of gambling, similar sessions are currently in the planning stages for all of YU's other athletic teams. However, by focusing the anti-gambling efforts only on student athletes, the multitude of non-athlete gamblers are being overlooked by the school.

Dr. Richard Zerneck, YU's Athletics director explained his concerns. "I would say that the problem with [school-wide] programs would be that the individuals for whom this really might be needed would not come to something like this. Gamblers are in denial. They don't see it as a problem. By meeting with each of the teams, we are forcing at least some students to discuss the degrees of the problems with gambling."

Because gambling is an addiction much like drugs and alcohol, those involved in the destructive activity often do not realize the extent of their problem until they have already caused irreparable damage. But if gambling is seemingly such an evil enterprise, why do individuals find it so alluring, knowing the associated dangers?

"People gamble for entertainment," Mark explained. "I know that the odds are against me, and when I place a bet, I know it's obviously not an even bet. On the average, people know that they will end up losing because of the commission they pay. But it adds a new dimension even to an average sports game to having a little money riding on it."

Nulman wondered, "Part of the fun of sports is that the competition is already built in. Why is there a need for another layer of competition? Obviously, the pressure of one's peer and social groups is going to say that there is an additional level to engage in, but if you get yourself into gambling, you're putting yourself, and potentially your family, at risk."

The psychology of the gambler is a well-researched topic, resulting in many so-called conclusive explanations of the gambler's motivation. "For some, the addiction is based on the need to feel control, for others it's the ego trip that the power of gambling gives them," David noted. According to some psychologists, it may even be due to a need to lose. "For me it was just a chance to make money," he explained. "When I was behind, I thought it was just due to a flaw in my system, or because I wasn't disciplined enough, and that I could fix it. The point is that nobody wins. It's mathematically impossible to really win."

As March Madness and the hype over the NCAA basketball tournament approach, many YU students turn into avid sports fans and active gamblers as they fantasize over "easy" money. In addition to the complex halakhic issues confronting the permissibility of gambling, David stressed the oft-forgotten notion that gambling is a no-win situation for the common man, that even years of research into the inner workings of betting cannot guarantee success for the gambler.

"There is no method that works. People have been writing books for years: the La Branche system, double up after you win, double up after you lose, progression-regression, none of it works. Casinos make their money because of the thousands of people who are there, there is that one guy who pulls a slot machine and hits the jackpot, and the lights start flashing, and there's a crowd around him. He is given free stuff to lure him back, and he eventually loses it all. And that's just one guy," David said.

"Everybody else loses from the start, whether gambling in a casino, betting on sports, or playing the lottery," he emphasized, somewhat regretfully.

Clearly, despite the inherent risks and potential pitfalls, gambling remains a prevalent force among YU students. While organized gambling on campus has not taken strong roots, many worry that the potential for gambling in the surrounding neighborhoods and the ease of betting, now, over the Internet, will fuel a new growth. This speculation keeps the administration on its toes and students, many simply looking for a good time, wary.