Sports Gambling for Youth in the USA - Essay Example

The influence of Sports Gambling on Youth in the USA The characteristics that are seen in both collegiate and professional level sports are well known among the up and coming generation. Talent, strength, Intelligence, will power and above all, a "never give up" mentality are the key fundamentals to success and victory; but success has been defined as something more than just hoisting the championship trophy at the end of a glorious season. Business editor Mark Reutter believes that "With efforts to curb college sports gambling blocked by congressional opponents, a generation of teenagers and young people may be entering the workforce with gambling debts and addictions." The media and internet advertising have taught our younger generation what the real definition of success is to our society. Money is what makes the mighty and powerful superior to all others. Sports and gambling have always been a pastime of our society and it would only seem fitting for our youth to follow in the footsteps of the generations preceding their own. "Possibly the biggest reason for an increase in illegal sports wagering is that society accepts gambling and believes there are no victims. Gambling is becoming an everyday accepted activity in areas of America that never before had easy access. Virtually everyone can buy a lottery ticket, bet on a horse, or drive to a riverboat casino just a short trip away" (Saum 2). The more time a gambler occupies placing bets, the more this once simple activity has becomes a dangerous obsession. At this point, one must begin to consider the true value of sports gambling and if it has any value at all. "The profile of the typical college student who gambles is someone who believes he has control of his own destiny, takes risks, and feels he possesses the skill to be successful in this endeavor. Ironically, these are many of the same qualities of successful college athletes and may explain why some are drawn to sports gambling" (Saum 1). Sports and gambling rely on one key element; luck, which is seen as a hope that becomes a reality, but only for a mere few. Having been brought up in an environment that teaches how money and luck go hand in hand the modern day generation is more inclined to test their luck. The internet is perhaps the best and easiest resource in which our youth can access the gambling world. "Computers are readily available for use in many high schools, college, and university libraries, and the cost of personal computers has been drastically reduced" (McBride 1). With this in mind, the student-athletes that have come to understand the internet gambling world have the most influential impact. NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey stated that "For the NCAA, this creates the potential that a student-athlete could place a wager and then attempt to influence the outcome of a game while participating in the contest. We are also concerned that the growth of Internet gambling may be fueled by college students who have easy access to the Internet. Students and student-athletes who develop gambling problems behind closed doors are difficult to reach. The NCAA believes there is a serious need for federal legislation prohibiting Internet gambling" (NCAA News Release). Dempsey's fears are rightfully placed since incidents like these are not uncommon among student-athletes. One NCAA-sponsored studied revealed that "of 2,000 male student-athletes in Division I basketball and football programs surveyed about NCAA rules violation, 25% reported that they gambled on college sports events other than their own while in college. Four percent admitted that they wagered on games in which they had played, and three of the athletes said they changed the outcome of the game in which they participated" (Saum 1). Results like this only show a portion of what could be a larger number of student-athletes that may be involved with sports gambling and could have directly impacted the results of a game in their respective sport. This alone changes many assumptions of the nature of sporting events and its impact on the younger generation. If athletes are not performing to the best of their abilities at a collegiate or professional level in order to fix the outcome of a sporting event, how can our society feel inclined to see sports and athletes as a positive influence for children "Student-athletes who are gambling on sports often incur losses beyond the financial means they have to repay the debts. Once a student-athlete places an illegal bet with a bookie, he no longer is in control. NCAA eligibility is jeopardized and the law has been broken. If student-athletes are sufficiently indebted or addicted, they can become vulnerable to point-shaving schemes. Sometimes, the schemes are positioned as a way to erase outstanding debt; in other cases, the student-athlete may be compelled by the threat of personal injury. (Saum 2) When discussing sports gambling among professionals, one name that always comes to mind is the former player and Cincinnati Reds Manager Pete Rose. Although it took more than a decade after his retirement from baseball and years of constant public criticism, Rose did admit to gambling on the Reds and other sporting events. MLB Officials have placed Pete Rose as ineligible for induction into the Hall-of-Fame for life because of his gambling habits. Although the punishment seems like a justifiable end, this does not remove what Rose tarnished in the process. Even though the image of professional athletes is temporarily altered, what physically changes is perspective of the younger generation. In the past, sports icons were used among the public as figures for inspiration when the times were difficult and hope was thin. The competition and the entertainment alone were worth the everyday struggles that were faced back then just to catch a glimpse of a "legend" in action. The present however, has revealed to the younger generation the value money and fame. Seeing a sports figure gamble only enhances the urges for children to do the same. Not only that but children are now receiving a subconscious message that making money through any of the multi-million dollar Sporting industries still isn't enough. Just like sports, gambling always has its winners and losers, the only difference being gamblers end up losing more than just pride. Reutter stated that the "Total costs from gambling-including bankruptcy filings, divorce, criminal activity and lost work-amount to about $80 billion a year, compared with $70 billion a year for drug addiction." The odds of a gambler winning consistently are slim to none, regardless of the event. Making a career out of gambling is only for people with enough money to lose, for those who have enough luck and intelligence to win and finally, those who already know who is going to win. With odds like these, one can understand how most gamblers end up losing more than just money, but the very material possessions they treasure. Even the loss of a family is a possible price to pay for one's gambling addictions. Unsurprisingly, most gamblers gravitate to the betting world since only one moment of good luck can set them up for life. The amount of competition involved in gambling drastically increases the value of luck when it favors the fortunate. The young generations do not get to experience the negative side of gambling since they encounter most gambling games available to them on the internet that do not involve actual money. However, that does make one have to question how large of an impact the internet has on gambling worldwide. "The good news is that fewer youth than adults gamble on the Internet. The bad news is that, although youth are not yet gambling for money, they are playing gambling games on the "practice" sites. Over half of all high school students, close to half of college and university students, and over three-quarters of on-line players report playing on "practice" sites" (McBride 1). This brings some controversial issues to light regarding the youth who are using the practice sites. "The concern is that youth, accustomed to winning on "practice" sites, will gamble for money when they have credit cards of their own, where they will not experience the same success" (McBride 1). A more frightening truth is how our youth are now beginning to see certain gambling games as competitive sports. Dr. Rina Gupta does regular group discussions with teenagers who have gambling problems and high-risk behaviors: "Last week, I spoke with a group of 10th graders. I learned that playing poker is the norm for their age group, that it was viewed as a "sport", not gambling, and learned that because it is a sport, it cannot result in problems if engaged frequently." Although these same students admit to believing that betting on sports is not competitive, they are still gambling and what they fail to realize is that the act itself is the addiction, not the game type. Continuing her discussion with the 10th graders, Dr. Gupta asked "If blackjack tournaments were to be televised on the sports networks, would you then consider it to be a sport as well" I was hoping that my little game would allow them to see that poker has been misrepresented as a sport and that it is no different from blackjack. Instead, they agreed that it would be a sport in their eyes if promoted in that way." With the amount of influence surrounding our youth and the constant drive for competition in our society, the only question needed to be answered is how can the addictive nature of gambling that is reaching children at such young ages be stopped One could say due away with sporting events in general, but there always remains that possibility that severe rioting will occur on a global scale. There may never be a definite answer, but with each passing incident of sports gambling that occurs, society gets that much closer to the source of the problem but with no means to fix it. Although children are influenced by the sporting event they choose to watch, most of a child's personality development occurs during elementary school and becomes more solidified in high school. This is the place where adolescents learn to define themselves based on the people they choose as friends. The typical pattern that follows is groups of students are formed, the most common being the student-athlete group. Sports have always been seen as a positive influence on a developing teenagers mind and body. Schools throughout the country teach that competition is what creates success, not just on the playing field, but in everyday life as well. Add to the equation the message being received by professional athletes that one can never have enough money and the outcome makes obvious sense. A child who is raised with a solid sports background and who is actively involved in sports will feel the confidence to gamble on the results of any game or competition during adulthood. One of the more influential tools to a gambling addict is the media which gives to-the-minute updates on sporting events around the world. Having this information readily available at all times only increases a gambling addict's desire to continue supplying their habit. The media has been blamed for numerous problems among youth, however, this issue is debatable since most people get to choose what they see, hear and ultimately believe to be true. The media has made itself known as a powerful technological resource that will always be up-to-date on many different genres of news from around the world. The last important element to sports gambling is how it has been extended past the controlling hands of the government. Thanks to the Internet, illegal bets are now easily being taken worldwide, making the prevention of gambling a near impossibility. "In 1998, approximately $80,000,000 was wagered on the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament with Nevada bookmakers. For the first time, more money was wagered in Nevada on the basketball tournament than the %78,000,000 bet on the 1998 Super Bowl. Those were legal wagers. Meanwhile, the FBI estimates that $2,500,000,000 was wagered illegally on the basketball tournament" (Saum 3). Being labeled a gambling addict requires a person whom is willing to risk what they have earned, inherited, still owe or have stolen. The hope is that one day luck will shine upon them and remove his or her debts and worries. Dreams of wealth and happiness are just one win away according to most gambling addicts. However, most of those dreams spend years being chased and never realized. When a gambling addict is up to his or her neck in debt, desperation occurs. The individual must come to the conclusion that gambling and money have consumed their lives. If this conclusion cannot be realized, the addict turns to the only other alternative they feel is left which will erase all debts for certain. Thoughts and acts of suicide are not uncommon among highly addicted gamblers. Those gambling addicts who believe suicide is the best measure have literally taken the value out of their own lives. What they fail to realize is that even if luck shines upon them like never before and they win millions of dollars, what will happen next They can either live out their lives happy and worry free, or follow in the footsteps of the professional athletes who value how much money they have. The problem with all addictions is that one never knows when it will ever be enough. Works Cited Gupta, Rina. "It can't be addictiveIt's a sport." Youth Gambling International. Vol. 6, Issue 2 (Summer, 2006). 15 April 2008. McBride, Jessica. "Internet Gambling Among Youth: A Preliminary Examination." Youth Gambling International. Vol. 6, Issue 2 (Summer, 2006). 15 April 2008. NCAA News Release. 18 June 1999. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 15 April 2008 Reutter, Mark. "Failure to curb school sports betting spells trouble for youth." I News Bureau. 1 July 2002. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 15 April 2008. Saum, William S. "Sports Gambling In College: Cracking Down On Illegal Betting." BNET The go-to Place for Management. July 1999. 15 April 2008 Read More