Students hit jackpot with online gambling
The ups and downs of online gambling
By Sarah Beth Hensley, Staff Writer
September 27, 2007 | 8:36 p.m.
When gambling laws that limited online activity took effect in 2006, many decreased their use. However, some students see no need to “fold” when it comes to their online gambling hobbies.
Virtual casinos and online poker have gained success despite the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007, which the U.S. House of Representatives passed, “restricting the handling of payments by U.S. financial institutions for unlawful forms of Internet gambling. That law prohibits the use of payment instruments by such institutions to handle the processing of any form of Internet gambling that is illegal under U.S. federal or state law,” according to the House’s Web site. This legislation requires businesses to obtain licenses in order to implement protections against underage gambling, compulsive gambling, money laundering and fraud.
Some have found a way to follow these new laws while still maintaining their hobby.
“I play Texas Hold 'Em almost exclusively online,” Greg Lusk, a teaching assistant in the philosophy department, said. “Generally I'll play $1 to $2- or $2 to $4-limit games and up to $30 tournaments that have anywhere from 10 to 10,000 people. Due to the laws that were enacted towards the end of last year, my play has been restricted to www.PokerStars.com and Full Tilt Poker, as they are generally the only sites accepting U.S. players in their real-money games.”
Brian Travers, a senior sports management major and longtime gambler, has been playing poker since his junior year in high school.
“I got a scholarship to a D2 Christian school, and I didn’t like it, so I got into online gambling as a hobby,” Travers said.
While online gambling may just be a hobby, it can be time-consuming for some and socially and academically harmful for others.
Dannyle D’Onofrio, a junior organizational communications major, has a father that has been gambling online for nearly five years.
“He is constantly online playing poker and misses out on family time,” D’Onofrio said. “It is so time-consuming. It is less of a hobby and more of a priority.”
Lusk, on the other hand, has maintained both his social and academic goals while playing poker.
“I haven't missed out socially or academically because of poker,” Lusk said. “I've always had a rich social life, and I graduated from my undergraduate university's honors program cum laude with a distinction in my major. Poker was more like a part-time job than anything else.”
Travers, a resident assistant, has used this obligation as an excuse to “stay in and not party” so that he can play poker online.
“This is the first year that I have not played 60 to 70 hours a week,” Travers said. “This year I only play 15 hours a week.”
Although some lose out socially, some gain monetarily. Travers currently has a profit of $10,000 since January, which he tracks through www.SharkScope.com, a Web site that monitors his losses and gains. He has also won a little more than $4,000 in a poker tournament, more than $8,000 in a 24-hour period and more than $1,000 a day on multiple occasions.
With great wins come great losses, too.
“The most I’ve ever lost is $3,500,” Travers said.
Lusk has a different outlook on the game by not monitoring his winnings.
“I genuinely have no idea what my biggest loss or win is because I manage my bankroll to absorb the swings up and down,” Lusk said. “I deposited $50 five years ago and built a bankroll from that money. I have never taken any additional money out of my savings to play poker. I've won well over $150 in one hand and over the years I've earned more than $12,000 total.”
These individuals have used their winnings to pay for tuition, textbooks, rent and loans.
“I haven’t had to work since high school,” Travers said.
Despite new laws, possible social detriments and the threat of monetary loss, there will always be an audience willing to lay down its money, time and cards for this hobby. Whether it is an enjoyable pastime or part-time job, some will always see online gambling as a jackpot opportunity.
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