Students ante up

It's illegal, but it is also a big-money industry.

Internet gambling is taking in more than $12 billion a year, and analysts expect that figure to top $24 billion by 2010.

More and more college students are falling prey to this trend, especially men. In the past year, the number of college-age males who gambled online — once a week or more — quadrupled, according to a study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

Research says the games are addictive. Players admit it, too. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill to ban it, and it's already prohibited under Utah law.

But Utah higher education officials say it's not on their radar screen.

Stayner Landward, dean of students at the University of Utah, said he was not even aware that online gambling existed.

"If we do (have a problem with it), I don't know about it," he said. "I guess if there is a way we could check, we would."

At Utah State University, John DeVilbiss, executive director of media relations, said, "I have not heard of anything. We don't have anything we are officially monitoring."

He said that he is in contact with the information technology department, which hasn't seen any red flags. DeVilbiss also sits on USU's Executive Board, which would address such problems.

Administrators, however, who wouldn't dream of allowing beer on campus have made high-speed Internet access available to all students. This puts every student within clicks of 24-hour, high-stakes gambling. An estimated 1.6 million of 17 million U.S. college students gambled online last year.

Jason Wilkin, 25, a local community college student, had a friend who was losing about $2,000 a month playing online poker.

"No one could convince him to quit," he said. "Your reality is a little bent. It's all on a computer. It's all virtual."

Wilkin also gambles online but said he tries to play within his means — taking wins as they come.

Sheldon Kirkham, a 28-year-old U. graduate, said he lost about $4,000 playing online poker before he enjoyed his first winning hand.