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By Dennis Miller, BHC Senior Writer

The film 21, starring Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne, brought the issue of college gambling into the national spotlight. But recently, a task force convened to look into the issue found that the overwhelming majority of colleges and universities don’t even have formal policies for dealing with problem gambling on campus. The study, produced by the Task Force on College Gambling Policies, found that only 22 percent of colleges and universities have such guidelines.

The report, A Call to Action: Addressing College Gambling and Recovery from Addiction, includes a list of 10 policy recommendations its authors say schools should consider adopting. The Task Force on College Gambling Policies was formed by the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG), in cooperation with the Division on Addictions at the Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

Christine Reilly, Director of the Institute for Research on Gambling Disorders (IRGD), an independent program of the NCRG, says the group’s report highlights the need for colleges to do more to combat the growing problem of gambling and gambling addiction on campuses. “Right now, only 22 percent of schools in this country even have a gambling policy,” she says. “And we hope that our report will at least get them to think about changing that and, if they already have a policy, maybe expand upon it.”

Reilly says that while the movie 21 may have focused attention on the issue, it presented an over-glamorized and unrealistic depiction of college gambling and the real-life problems it can cause. “I don’t think you have that many students flying off to Vegas who know how to count cards,” she says. “It’s more these other forms of gambling — buying a lottery ticket or maybe going to the local casino. It’s not what that movie portrayed.”

Most don’t see gambling as a problem

The problem, says Reilly, is that not enough college administrators and students appreciate just how big the problem of college gambling is and how serious the consequences can be for college students. “A huge percentage of students do not see it as a problem to gamble and do not really see it as a mental health disorder when you gamble excessively. I think that that’s very typical in the public as well,” she says. “A lot of people don’t really understand that excessive gambling can be a sign of a mental health disorder. And so it’s probably not surprising that there isn’t a sense of risk.”

What’s changed in recent years to elevate the issue’s importance are two things, she says. One is our growing awareness of problem gambling’s links to other mental health disorders and addictions, and the other the easier access to gambling today. “It’s always been there but now we are more concerned about it because, number one, we now understand that it can lead — not always, but it can lead — to a mental health disorder,” she says. “And also, we’re concerned because there are all these new ways to gamble. For example, a lot of people are very concerned about online betting and wondering if maybe that makes it even easier for people to gamble and to get into trouble.”

Many links to other disorders

The links between problem gambling and other mental health and addiction issues are manifold. “Gambling disorders tend to be highly co-morbid with other disorders such as alcohol abuse and so on,” says Reilly. “And we know that kids who binge drink also gamble a lot, for example. There are a lot of connections.”

Links to depression and other mood disorders are also well known, and in a way, our success today in treating these disorders may be one reason why problem gambling is on the rise at colleges. In the past, many who suffered from these disorders were less likely to attend college in the first place. “More kids today are going to school who have mood disorders, for example, than ever went 30 years ago. Why? Because we now have Prozac and now have anti-anxiety drugs,” she explains. “And so, although they’re able to function and do very well because they’re on this medication, they may have a slight vulnerability to getting into trouble with certain risky behaviors including gambling.”

The good news is, because gambling is often co-morbid with substance abuse and other mental health issues, and colleges are already well versed at dealing with these issues, there’s a natural place on campuses to plug in anti-gambling efforts. “Programs and research on alcohol on campus is a highly developed area and there are a number of ideas and a number of effective programs that we can borrow or adapt to gambling,” says Reilly. “Every college campus has an alcohol program — 100 percent — so it’s really easy to figure out how to plug in gambling into some of the existing programs.”

A 10-step program

Plugging such efforts in to existing programs on campus is just one of the 10 action steps the Task Force is recommending colleges consider. The full list includes:

1. Establish a campus-wide committee to develop and monitor a comprehensive policy on gambling.
2. Ensure that college policies are consistent with applicable local, state, and federal laws.
3. Strive for consistency and universal application with prohibitions and restrictions on gambling and alcohol use at special events.
4. Promote campus-community collaborations that focus on reducing problems with student drinking and gambling.
5. Encourage adjustments in disciplinary actions applied to violators of gambling rules if the student seeks assistance from health or counseling services.
6. Make reasonable accommodations for students focused on recovery from a problem with gambling or alcohol.
7. Measure student attitudes, behaviors, and problems with gambling through campus surveys or by incorporating such measures into existing campus health-related surveys.
8. Promote campus-wide awareness of (1) pathological gambling as a mental health disorder that has a high rate of comorbidity with alcohol use and other addictive disorders, and (2) responsible gaming principles.
9. Employ evidence-based strategies to identify and help students with gambling and alcohol problems.
10. Strengthen the capacity of counseling services to identify and treat gambling disorders.

To download the complete and detailed policy recommendations for this list, or to download and executive sumary or the full report A Call to Action: Addressing College Gambling and Recovery from Addiction, click on the links below. To hear our complete interview with IRGD Director Christine Reilly, click the audio icon above. Or read on for a full, edited transcript of our conversation.

• Download the executive summary of the report
• Download the full report A Call to Action: Addressing College Gambling and Recovery from Addiction
• View the detailed college gambling policy recommendations

BHC: Tell us a bit about the work of the Task Force on College Gambling Policies and what it found.

CR: The task force did a literature search first of all and a survey of what the research was out there already about gambling use, college gambling and so on. And of course, they discovered that it’s a really still a developing area and that many of the questions that they had could not always be answered by the research base on gambling, but that in many cases we found that, obviously, programs and research on alcohol on campus is a highly developed area and that there are a number of ideas and a number of effective programs that we can borrow for gambling, or adapt to gambling. Which makes sense since gambling disorders tend to be highly co-morbid with other disorders such as alcohol abuse and so on. And for example we know that kids who binge drink also gamble a lot, for example. There are a lot of connections.

And so at this point and time a lot of what they’re doing is looking at what programs that exist on college. Every college campus has an alcohol program — 100 percent — so it’s really easy to figure out how to plug in gambling into some of the existing programs.

BHC: What attitude would you say typifies how college students view gambling? Do they see it as a danger in the same way that they might view alcohol or drug use?

CR: No. One study indicated that a huge percentage of students do not see it as a problem to gamble and did not really see it as a mental health disorder when you gamble excessively. I think that that’s very typical in the public as well. A lot of people don’t really understand that excessive gambling can be a sign of a mental health disorder. And so it’s probably not surprising that there isn’t a sense of risk.

Of course, on the other hand, you might say that college students don’t really see risk in a lot of things that they do including drinking, driving drunk or unprotected sex. So we think it just falls into a whole line of risky behaviors that because of their age and immaturity and so on they don’t really see it as risky.

BHC: How might things have changed on college campuses with regards to gambling since the time when middle-aged or even older adults may have gone to college a few decades ago?

CR: Well, what’s really interesting about the research is young people on college campuses have always gambled. It’s just that our attitude and our understanding of it has changed. I found clippings from the nineteenth century in which people were concerned about an epidemic of poker playing at Yale, and I think that was like 1887 or something. So that just shows you that it’s always been there but that now we are more concerned about it because, number one, we now understand that it can lead — not always but it can lead — to a mental health disorder and also we’re concerned because there are all these new ways to gamble. For example, a lot of people are very concerned about online betting and wondering if maybe that makes it even easier for people to gamble and to get into trouble. So I think it’s more the way you look at it. I don’t think the percentage of people gambling has changed.

BHC: Is it a question somewhat as well of availability with the surge in the casinos these days, particularly on Indian reservations, which may be nearby to campuses?

CR: I think it depends. I think the casinos are much better than most operators about enforcing the age limit for one. All the commercial casinos in the United States are age 21 to get in. And they’re fined. There are extremely high fines if they’re caught allowing minors on the floor, so they have a big incentive to not allow and to card people who look under 30. So they’re pretty vigilant. But of course, some of the Indian casinos do allow for 18-year-olds. So you probably do have a lot of gambling at casinos, but I think it’s not even the top activity. I think sports betting and lottery are two of the [top activities].

Sports betting can be anything from a friendly sports bet on your golf game to perhaps using a bookie. And then you also have lotteries, which are everywhere. You can buy a lottery ticket anywhere. So I think that although, yes, there are more forms of gambling that are prevalent, so much of the gambling over the years has been this formal type of stuff — card playing and so on — and that just continues on and there’s really nothing new.

BHC: The recent big movie 21 focused on the true life story of an MIT professor who taught his students a method to get rich by card counting at blackjack tables. From what you know about the film, do you think it presented an accurate view of gambling on college campuses? Or was that kind of an extreme, ‘Hollywoodized’ view of what’s really going on?

CR: I think that that probably is more of a Hollywood thing rather than an accurate reflection of reality. So much of the gambling that goes on at campuses is, like I said, it’s betting on the football game, for example. We have a study that shows that fans of sports at their school as well as the athletes do gamble more. There’s just a real heightened incentive when you’ve got your school playing and everything’s on the line for them.

So I think that is probably not realistic. I don’t think you have that many students flying off to Vegas who know how to count cards. It’s more these other [forms] — buying a lottery ticket or maybe going to the local casino. It’s not what that movie portrayed.

BHC: What would be some of the warning signs that the task force would advise any college that wants to kind of get a handle on this problem to be alert for when it comes to try and determine if students are addicted to gambling or not?

CR: Well, two things are important. One is that when you do have access to a student who’s seeking help for a problem, either depression or alcohol or whatever, it’s really good to keep in mind that it’s probably good to ask about their gambling. We have found that with adults, they may go to a counselor for something else, and the gambling — that they might have a problem with gambling — doesn’t even come up unless they’re asked.

So I think it’s really good for the counseling staff to be aware that a lot of the kids who binge drink and do other risky things may also be gambling. It wouldn’t hurt to ask and then you’ll have a better handle on what’s going on with them.

The other thing is, we’re beginning to think in terms of gambling in general no matter what the age, that the preoccupation, the time spent, is really the key. It’s not always how much money you spend, because a lot of people have a lot of money and they can afford to lose the money. But what’s really key is preoccupation. One could become preoccupied with any activity to the detriment of others. For example, just leading an unbalanced life, staying in your room, sitting at the computer playing video poker and so on. That would be a sign of concern.

BHC: Are college sports programs somewhat guilty of promoting gambling with their close association with off-track betting and the like? You just referenced in fact, betting on the outcome of a game. Is that maybe part of the problem here? Do colleges need to maybe step back from that a bit?

CR: Well, the task force understands that colleges and universities in the U.S. are incredibly diverse, and we didn’t want to provide a one-size-fits-all because that doesn’t work. But we did want them to at least think about some of the conflicts that are inherent. For example, I know that in North Carolina, the head of the university system — University of North Carolina — decided to not allow advertising by the state lottery at football games. And that was a big that was probably a significant source of revenue.

That probably was not an easy decision, but I think some schools sometimes feel like we should be consistent. If we don’t allow gambling on campus, then why should we be allowing them to use our sports events to advertise? That’s where the issue often comes up, but that is for every school to decide. It’s not always easy, because a lot of the advertising, for example, is a significant source of revenue, so that’s a tough one.

BHC: What are some of the short-term and long-term risks of college students becoming involved in or addicted to gambling?

CR: In the short term, one thing that can happen obviously is you can get into debt very quickly and have massive credit card bills. I don’t know what the situation is now but I’ve heard over the years that a lot of colleges were concerned about the availability of easy credit cards that were being given to students. And so that’s a potential pitfall. And of course, as you start to get preoccupied with an activity, everything else around you starts to fall apart, including your grades and your social life and so on.

Then, long-term, what we’re concerned about is that a lot of people who have problems as adults with gambling tended to start early. And so we feel it’s important to not only catch these people for the sake of their college life, but also to keep them from developing a bigger problem later on.

BHC: What are some of the recommendations the task force came up with for colleges and universities dealing with gambling?

CR: Well, in addition to talking about how should colleges be consistent in terms of, for example, if you don’t allow gambling, should you allow a casino night? Or should you allow your sports venue to be used for gambling advertising? Those are some of the issues that we advise them to think about trying to be consistent on. But we also think it’s important for schools to be very cognizant of local, state and federal laws on gambling, because that’s a constantly changing constellation that really needs to kept up with in terms of, what are the appropriate ages for gambling, and/or what are the laws regarding online gambling. That’s a very murky area right now. So that’s important.

We also, as I said before, feel it’s important that the health services at colleges and universities get up to speed on where the research on gambling is and to think about ways they can, for example, add gambling questions to an existing survey. Most colleges do some kind of a survey about health and about risky behaviors. It’s really very easy to add a couple of questions, and we gave some recommendations on how to do that. And that will give you a baseline and give you a sense of what is going on on your campus. And maybe that’s a good launching pad to decide what kind of programs you want to do.

And we do think it’s important for the health and the counseling professionals on campus to think about assessing or to screen for gambling problems and to look into what we now know seems to be working with adults and see what we can adapt for college students in terms of treatment.

BHC: The task force actually came up with a set of ten initial recommendations right?

CR: Yes.

BHC: Those are accessible in the reports which are on your website, correct? What is that website?

CR: The National Center for Responsible Gaming’s website is ncrg.org. And there both the full report and an executive summary are available.

BHC: One final question for you, Christine. With the myriad risks that college students face, from ranging from drug addiction to unprotected sex to drunken driving, as you referred to, tell us why gambling needs to considered on that same level?

CR: It needs to be considered because, although not every college student who gambles will get into trouble, some of them, the ones who have certain vulnerabilities, could easily fall into problems. And even if they have the money to lose, it’s not just the money. It can really disrupt their lives. When you become obsessed with something it’s very difficult to have a balanced life.

A lot of people with gambling problems have depression. But we don’t always know, did the depression cause the gambling — they wanted to escape from their problems and so on — or did the excessive gambling and all the problems that came with it cause the depression? So we’re not always clear what’s going on. And we worry that more kids today are going to school who have mood disorders, for example, than ever went 30 years ago. Why? Because we now have Prozac and now have anti-anxiety drugs. And so, although they’re able to function and do very well because they’re on this medication, they may have a slight vulnerability to getting into trouble with certain risky behaviors including gambling.

BHC: Christine, anything we haven’t discussed here that you think is also to important to mention in closing?

CR: Just that we would hope that the colleges and the universities — right now only 22 percent of schools in this country even have a gambling policy. And we hope that our report will at least get them to think about changing that and, if they already have a policy, maybe expanding on it. So we just hope that this starts a dialogue.

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