"You did good tonight, kid. Wasn't hard, was it? Your team was favored to win by 10. You won the game but made sure you didn't cover the spread. Nobody got hurt. And now I'll clear your debt with the bookmaker. You're even, kid."

"Thanks, Tony. We should have beat that team by 20 points. I sure looked like hell, the way I played. But, hey, I learned my lesson. No more gambling for me. I'll see you around."

"One minute, kid. We're not done yet."

"But you said we're even. I'm done with this."

"Get this straight, kid. You're not done until I say you're done. That is, unless you want your coach and the rest of the team to know why you almost blew the game tonight. I'm sure the fans will really appreciate your performance, too. No, kid, I like having the odds in my favor. I'm in control of this game now. I own you."

Does the situation above appear to be a bit over the top? Don't bet on it.

I was in the business of gambling, and I'm telling you it's right on target. Basketball, football, baseball -- you would be surprised how one player can sometimes control the outcome of a game. He might even get his teammates to go along with the scheme. What about other sports? If a game has a line on it, the potential is there to gamble and the athlete is at risk. And that goes for women's sports, too.

Oh, sure, it's a worst-case scenario for a student-athlete who gets himself caught up in a gambling web, but don't think for a minute that it hasn't happened in the past and that it can't happen again. The end result is always bad for the student-athlete. If he goes along with the scheme to clear the debt, he sold his soul to the gambler. If he resists and tells his coach or the authorities, he has seriously compromised his career by violating NCAA rules concerning gambling. And because he exposed "Tony," he might end up in the hospital.

Take it from me, you don't mess with certain people.

Student-athletes need to know they are potential targets for anyone who is in the business of gambling. Gambling is a multi-billion-dollar, dirty business that attracts all kinds of characters who are out to tip the odds on winning a bet on a sporting event in their favor. Most bookmakers are controlled by organized crime, and when it comes to making money, they make the rules.

If a student-athlete starts gambling with a bookie, loses money and can't pay the tab, he might very well find himself confronted with a situation like the one played out above. Take it from me -- the bookmaker gets his money one way or another. A visit from "Tony" can become a reality if a student-athlete can't cover his losses.

And then there's the student-athlete who chooses to associate himself with a gambler who talks him into making some money by getting involved in a point-shaving scheme. Could be anyone -- the campus bookie, a guy he met in the local bar. Might even be his best friend on campus. Gambling is a campus-wide problem.

From my own experience, I can tell you that a fraternity house can be a haven for an illegal bookmaking operation. Are the campus police aware of those illegal operations? If not, they should be. Perhaps those who administer student affairs on campus should be taking a closer look. Whatever the case, choosing to run with a gambler is an exceptionally bad choice for an athlete. What's the harm, he's asked. Win the game; just don't cover the spread and you'll make yourself a couple grand. A different twist on the scheme, same potential result for the athlete. A nightmare.

Not every student-athlete who loses money on a game will face this dilemma. In today's gambling world, he can stay in his room and the Internet will provide him with thousands of gambling sites where he can lay down a bet with mom and dad's credit card. But what happens when he loses? Eventually, a gambler always loses. If I was that student's roommate, I would make sure I hid my money and valuables from him. Do you have any idea how often a gambler will start stealing to cover a debt he can't pay? I experienced that throughout my life on the streets.

Substantial evidence exists to prove that the crime rate soars in every city throughout the country where gaming is established. Wagering of any kind all too often becomes much more then a harmless pastime. It creates real victims.

Student-athletes who have a propensity to gamble are easy prey to gamblers. Take them to dinner, provide them with a car, tickets to a concert, some new clothes. Whatever it takes to gain their confidence. And it doesn't end with the athlete. Coaches, trainers, officials -- anyone involved in the game is at risk. The gambling industry wants you to believe differently. And I'm talking about both the legal and illegal side of the industry. Gambling is gambling. When you lose, you lose. Regardless of whom you owe, you still have to pay the debt. It's what someone will do to pay that debt that can be downright destructive to the sport, the integrity of the program and the learning institution. We have certainly seen evidence of this in the past.

More than 15 million people in America are pathological gamblers. Our nation's colleges, whether Division I, II or III, have a responsibility to deal with this serious issue.

Education is the strongest weapon we possess in this battle. The gambling industry is waging an all-out, consistent assault on society in an effort to get us to lose our money. This assault is in the face of every student on campus. How he or she deals with it is a matter of choice. As educators, we need to wage a counterattack by consistently providing our students information that shows them the severe consequences they can suffer by engaging in wagering of any kind. Coaches, trainers, equipment managers -- you all need to be positive role models and show integrity in dealing with this issue.

The NCAA is right on in enforcing strict rules when it comes to student-athletes engaging in gambling on sporting events of any kind. Take it from me -- a guy who was one of the NCAA's biggest nightmares in its efforts to preserve the quality of the game, the integrity of the institution and student-athlete well-being.

Michael Franzese is a former capo in New York's Colombo organized crime family. He is an NCAA-approved speaker and is available to visit member institutions and speak to student-athletes (www.michaelfranzese.com).