Online Poker Addictive, More Dangerous to College Students

Addiction specialist says “good riddance” to online poker

The Boston Globe this weekend discussed the Doomsday that was April 15 and the seizure of three only poker sites.

While the majority of folks are furious, there is one lone voice who believes it’s about time. 

“It takes gambling from being a social activity to a solitary activity,’’ said Margot Cahoon, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling. “That makes it more dangerous.’’

The group has received numerous calls from parents whose children have run up large bills playing online poker at college, drawn in by the easy access and addictive quality of the game.

“A lot of young people have problems with this,’’ she said. “The money seems unreal, and they can play for hours without realizing it.’’

The Globe noted: 

Between 8 million and 10 million Americans play online for money, poker groups estimate, and an increasing number are college age. Between 2008 and 2010, monthly use of Internet gambling sites rose from about 4 percent to 16 percent among college-age males, an Annenberg Public Policy Center survey found. About 400,000 males between 18 and 22 gamble at least once a week online, the survey found, and more than 1.7 million do so at least once a month.

- Ace King, Gambling911.com