In recent years, the NCAA has played an important role in elevating the public’s awareness of gambling-related issues.

As a counselor to compulsive gamblers and as a person who has spoken about the issue on many college campuses, I have not always agreed with the NCAA’s tactics, but I am grateful that such a prominent national association has taken the position that sports gambling is dangerous and addictive.

As I know all too well, gambling can be just as toxic as alcohol or drugs. Gambling almost ruined my life. I still thank God for giving me the strength to fight through my addiction. To this day, I know I was one of the lucky ones. As often as not, compulsive gamblers do not escape with their property, their liberty or a family. I have all three, and I wake up each morning feeling blessed.

Here is my concern with the NCAA: Its approach to gambling is too narrow. Of course we should all be concerned about whether college students bet on sports contests. Of course we should be appalled when young people lose control and borrow gambling money at exorbitant interest rates. I am distressed beyond words each time I read about a young man who has shaved points to find a way out of his gambling hell.

But the real issue is not sports gambling. The real issue is compulsive gambling.

As I write this article, we are amid the biggest explosion of activity that I have seen in my 37 years of helping compulsive gamblers. The particular problem is poker. It is sweeping the nation and even the world. It is the hottest thing on college campuses.

I have spoken to college students who play poker day and night. They even play during class. Such individuals are perilously close to crossing a line of destruction, if they haven’t crossed it already. Poker is available 24 hours a day. You never have to leave your dorm to play poker; you don’t even have to get dressed.

Poker is the kind of gambling experience that fits well with someone who has an impulse disorder. It holds a special danger for those who are already at risk or for compulsive gamblers who are in recovery. I don’t know if poker has become a bigger problem than sports gambling, but it’s not really a distinction worth making. The point is that out-of-control poker is just as likely to ruin a student-athlete’s life as is sports betting.

I understand that the NCAA and college sports in general have a huge interest in ensuring that their contests are conducted with integrity, and I find no fault with the NCAA for protecting that interest. But in focusing almost all of its anti-gambling energy on sports wagering, the NCAA is missing an opportunity to treat the core illness. Instead, it addresses only a symptom.

Here’s a parallel (or maybe a lack of one): The NCAA’s drug-testing program tests for performance-enhancing drugs because student-athletes have a right to know that they are not competing against opponents who have used illegal supplements. But the NCAA also tests for street drugs like marijuana, cocaine and heroin. If anything, those drugs inhibit athletics performance, but the NCAA tests for them anyway because it wants to deter drug abuse in general.

Why doesn’t that same attitude exist for compulsive gamblers? Not only is the NCAA’s narrow attitude about gambling inconsistent with its broader position on drug testing and drug education, it also is bad business. That’s because the NCAA will not stop sports-betting scandals unless it can slow down compulsive gambling on campuses. With the recent explosion of poker, I can assure you that nothing is slowing down in that regard.

My dream is that high schools and colleges will develop real programs that seriously address the issue of compulsive gambling, just as they have programs that address alcohol and drug addiction. Education and early detection can make the difference between life and death for some people who have — or will have — a gambling addition.

Arnie Wexler and his wife Sheila have provided extensive training on compulsive, problem and underage gambling and have spoken on many college campuses. They are available at 732/774-0019 or through www.aswexler.com.

Individuals who believe they may be problem gamblers are encouraged to call 1-888-LAST BET or other reputable gambling-counseling services.

Questions for young people who gamble

These questions may help young people determine whether they have a gambling problem:

 1. Do you find yourself gambling more frequently than you used to?

 2. Has anyone ever suggested that you have a problem with gambling?

 3. Did you ever gamble more than you intended to?

 4. Do you have a fantasy that gambling is going to make you rich?

 5. Do you believe you have superior knowledge when you make a bet?

 6. Do you lose time from school because of gambling?

 7. Do you have intense interest in point spreads and odds?

 8. Do you make frequent calls to sports phones or lotteries?

 9. Have you ever bet with a bookmaker or used credit cards to gamble?

10. Have your grades ever dropped because of gambling?

11. Have you ever done anything illegal to finance your gambling?

12. Is gambling language or references part of your vocabulary?

13. Do you prefer to socialize with friends who gamble?

14. Does anyone in your family have an addiction?

15. Have you ever borrowed money to finance gambling?

16. Has anyone ever paid your gambling debts for you?

17. Does gambling give you a “rush”?

18. Do you find yourself craving another gambling experience?

19. Do you find yourself “chasing” your losses?

20. Have you ever tried to stop or control your gambling?

21. Have you lied about your gambling to family or friends?

22. Are you spending more time on the Internet?

23. Are you playing poker on the Internet?