Steps urged to curb college gambling

BOSTON, April 1 (UPI) -- University officials around the United States are urging colleagues to become more aggressive about intervening with students who have gambling problems.

The Christian Science Monitor said Tuesday that researchers see college as a ripe age for the development of risky behavior among young people and instructors and staff should be more proactive in heading off trouble.

The Internet and televised poker tournaments appear to have whetted student appetites for gaming. The Monitor cited an Annenberg Public Policy Center study that indicated 40 percent of 18- to 22-year-olds gambled every month. About 5 percent gambled weekly and were experiencing problems staying within their budgets.

George McClellan, vice chancellor for student affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne, told the newspaper that colleges should "take on a responsibility to provide information about the law, to challenge students to think about their own ethics and values ... to be sure they understand where they can go if they think they might have a problem."