(U-WIRE) STILLWATER, Okla. - With football season in full swing, many college students may be participating in friendly bets on their favorite college football teams. While betting on a game once in a while may be fun and exciting, gambling can cause problems in a person's life if taken too far. Making bets linked to college football has opened a wide variety of gambling for some teen-agers and adults.
"Sports betting is a major problem, and it is getting worse," said Ed Looney, executive director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey Inc., on the council's Web site, www.800gambler.org . "Betting pools available in high schools, colleges and offices throughout America will nearly match the amount of money generated on Super Bowl Sunday."
While one bet a year doesn't mean a person has a problem, little bets may give the person a taste of the world of gambling that is available.
"Seemingly innocent office pools many times are catalysts for some people to get involved in sports betting," Looney said. "Many of these pools are illegal."
Many people are using other means, such as the Internet, to place bets and gamble.
"Internet gambling has increased from one site to 1,400 in the past six years," said Kevin O'Neill, deputy director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, Inc., on the council's Web site.
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