West Texas A&M (WT) is banning access to online gambling sites via its Wi-Fi networks. It’s a move that WT WT President Walter V. Wendler says is meant to protect students from “predatory” gambling site operators. It’s also a move that’s likely to be closely watched, and likely emulated, by colleges across the country as they grapple with a wave of problem gamblers in their ranks.
Wendler announced the move in an open letter to students and faculty titled, Predatory Gambling is Not a Problem on U.S. Campuses! Wanna Bet?. In the letter, Wendler accuses regulated operators of engaging in “predatory gambling” saying, “’The house’—that is, the corporation—always wins. This is true in brick-and-mortar casinos and equally true in the hundreds of international enterprises that support online gambling.”
Wendler then goes on to cite a laundry list of troubling statistics regarding problem gambling among college-age Americans. In particular, he points out the lasting financial damage caused by students who gamble using credit cards. He also pointed out how problem gambling impedes the learning process saying, “Beyond my personal empathy toward those struggling with any kind of addiction, as the president of West Texas A&M University, I also have a professional interest in eliminating any barrier to academic excellence.”
Problem gambling has been a growing issue on college campuses since regulated sports betting came to the US in recent years. While it’s unclear what kind of impact WT’s move will have on its student body, it’s very likely that other colleges and universities will enact similar bans in the future.