The Young And Bold Online Gamblers

Published: Thursday, February 16, 2006 Online-Casinos.com

THE YOUNG AND THE BOLD ONLINE GAMBLERS

Large numbers of US college students taking to online gambling

Results from a survey of US college students conducted late last year indicates that as much as 26 percent of college men gamble on Internet card games at least once a month, and 4 percent once a week or more.

The survey was conducted by the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, and revealed that the most popular game for the students is online poker.

"We keep waiting for it [the college poker craze] to peak," said Dan Romer, director of the Risk Survey of Youth. "So far, it hasn't."

Prime time exposure for the game via television's million-dollar tourneys has imbued poker with glamour and trendiness, creating demand for both online and land action, with the former especially favoured due to its accessibility.

Students responding to the survey said that online poker appealed to them because it was a test of will and intelligence; a form of "psychological warfare" consisting of personal battles they were confident they could win due to a belief in their own superior intellect. Many described their play as a "job" requiring constant, and sometimes tedious, discipline.