Recent research has revealed that an increasing number of college and university students are now spending their time gambling online. In recent years, online casino operators have tried diligently to appeal to a younger, more tech-savvy audience, and this study shows that their tactics have been working.
The study, conducted by The National Annenberg Survey of Youth, revealed that the number of male college students gambling grew 12% from 2008 to 2010. Female students, on the other hand, only showed an increase of 0.5% over the two year period.
The findings prove that the American gambling ban, the UIGEA, has had little to no effect on young people’s gambling habits. Although the legislation was enacted in 2006, the number of college-aged players managed to increase significantly, demonstrating that the ban has been ineffective thus far.
According to Dan Romer, director of the Adolescent Communication Institute, suggests that more easily-accessible banking is at the heart of the increase. "Payment restrictions on such sites are no longer a barrier to young people", he says. While more and more young people are gambling online, an increase in problem gambling has not been reported. This suggests that easier access to gambling activities has no positive correlation with the rate of gambling addiction.
