Charlie, a 22-year-old college student who spoke on the condition that only his first name be used, began gambling during his freshman year at Syracuse University. He soon ran into trouble.
Syracuse does not have an online sports betting partner, although it promotes gambling through its partnership with the nearby Turning Stone Resort and Casino. However, Charlie placed his bets with illegal bookies.
“It went from $5 bets, $10 bets and $200 bets to $500,” he said. He bet on tennis, baseball, golf, soccer. “I even have a little bit of UFC,” he added, referring to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
By the fall of his senior year, Charlie knew something was wrong. He was depressed and couldn’t sleep. His numbers plummeted and he owed $1,800 to multiple bookmakers. Sports betting had gone from a casual pastime to a serious problem.
“I couldn’t stop countless times. I converted $100 to $2,000 and then, within the same hour, lost all that $2,000 plus another $500. And then you can imagine how depressing that feels, right? I mean it’s just – it’s horrible.
Students are often slow to recognize that they may not be able to gamble responsibly.
“The person who develops into a problem gambler usually doesn’t want to stop gambling because his head thinks, ‘This is fun. This is going to solve my problems” instead of “I have to stop gambling because I’m ruining my life,” says Michelle Malkin, an assistant professor at East Carolina University who studies the link between gambling and crime. “It’s very difficult, especially for a young person, to come to that conclusion.”
In January, just as he was about to begin his final semester at Syracuse, Charlie dropped out of school and sought treatment. Instead of graduating in May with his friends, he spent his time working at a golf club to pay off his gambling debts and seek help from a rehabilitation center. He now attends weekly Gamblers Anonymous meetings and is unsure of his plans to return to Syracuse.
