For students, lure of money is everywhere
The poker players sparkle like celebrities on cable TV, often sitting coolly in sunglasses while raking in their chips.
The poker players sparkle like celebrities on cable TV, often sitting coolly in sunglasses while raking in their chips.
The gambling industry sells itself by marketing the kind of high-stakes wins that are routine for only a few. It's a potent lure, and one that many college students -- already high-risk takers -- pay attention to. Some marketing is aimed directly at them: "win your tuition" tournaments, fliers on campus kiosks, offers for fraternity fundraising.
It's not hard to find opportunities to gamble if you're a college student.
The start-up Sigma Pi fraternity at the University of Minnesota didn't even have a house yet when a poker website came calling last summer.
"I thought that your fraternity may be in need of some fundraising, and I might be able to help," read the e-mail from someone who works for Absolute Poker. The message offered to hold an online tournament and donate money for everyone who participated.
"To my knowledge, that was the first piece of advertising our fraternity received," fraternity treasurer Craig Bantz said.
Canterbury Park Racetrack and Card Club tries to bring young people into gaming responsibly so they become part of the park's customer base when they're older, said Kevin Gorg, media relations manager. "We're all about the long-term investment," he said. "We're not trying to, you know, scam people into getting involved with it on a short-term basis and diving in for money they can't afford to lose. We're all about educating our fans."
Absolute Poker and other websites have been aggressive in courting the college market. Absolute, for instance, advertised a "Win Your Tuition" tournament, internships in Costa Rica, jobs as campus representatives -- even a chance to be a "College Spokesmodel."
At the University of Minnesota, coupons offering a $100 sign-up bonus at www.partypoker.com were tucked into poker books at the campus bookstore last fall. University officials say the coupons violated bookstore policies, and they removed them.
Card Player magazine, around since 1998, published a college edition in 2005 and 2006. "There's a lot of 21-year-old kids who learn to play poker online and they become very, very good at the game very quickly," said Justin Marchand, who was executive editor of the college edition. Many participants in big poker events came from the college market, he said.
Pam Louwagie • plouwagie@startribune.com
The poker players sparkle like celebrities on cable TV, often sitting coolly in sunglasses while raking in their chips.
The gambling industry sells itself by marketing the kind of high-stakes wins that are routine for only a few. It's a potent lure, and one that many college students -- already high-risk takers -- pay attention to. Some marketing is aimed directly at them: "win your tuition" tournaments, fliers on campus kiosks, offers for fraternity fundraising.
It's not hard to find opportunities to gamble if you're a college student.
The start-up Sigma Pi fraternity at the University of Minnesota didn't even have a house yet when a poker website came calling last summer.
"I thought that your fraternity may be in need of some fundraising, and I might be able to help," read the e-mail from someone who works for Absolute Poker. The message offered to hold an online tournament and donate money for everyone who participated.
"To my knowledge, that was the first piece of advertising our fraternity received," fraternity treasurer Craig Bantz said.
Canterbury Park Racetrack and Card Club tries to bring young people into gaming responsibly so they become part of the park's customer base when they're older, said Kevin Gorg, media relations manager. "We're all about the long-term investment," he said. "We're not trying to, you know, scam people into getting involved with it on a short-term basis and diving in for money they can't afford to lose. We're all about educating our fans."
Absolute Poker and other websites have been aggressive in courting the college market. Absolute, for instance, advertised a "Win Your Tuition" tournament, internships in Costa Rica, jobs as campus representatives -- even a chance to be a "College Spokesmodel."
At the University of Minnesota, coupons offering a $100 sign-up bonus at www.partypoker.com were tucked into poker books at the campus bookstore last fall. University officials say the coupons violated bookstore policies, and they removed them.
Card Player magazine, around since 1998, published a college edition in 2005 and 2006. "There's a lot of 21-year-old kids who learn to play poker online and they become very, very good at the game very quickly," said Justin Marchand, who was executive editor of the college edition. Many participants in big poker events came from the college market, he said.
Pam Louwagie • plouwagie@startribune.com
posted by Leunam del Jacal at 6:24 AM
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