The Allure and Dangers of Gambling for UNR Students

Reporting by Tommy Mondani

While final projects are due and exams are being taken, some students at the University of Nevada, Reno, are stressing not because of their grades, but because of their gambling losses. Some students, rather than focusing on their studies, are busy trying to recoup some of their losses just before the holidays, with the risk of making their gambling holes even deeper.

Just about a 10 minute walk from campus sit multiple casinos in the downtown area. Students also have plenty of sports betting apps and other gambling opportunities on their phones.

“The access is insane,” said a 22-year-old senior at UNR, who wished to remain anonymous. “You can literally gamble sitting in class or at home. Online sports betting makes it way too easy.”

This student went on to explain that he started by making small $5 parlays with his friends to make sports more exciting. “After I started to see some bigger payouts, like a couple hundred dollars it was hard to stop.”

Sooner than later, he was a couple hundred dollars in the hole before he reached out for help.

He shared experiences of missing classes, losing sleep, and watching his grades plummet. He made it clear that for his own case support was easy to find to stop his worsening addiction.

“My family and friends were really huge for me,” he said. “I sat down and talked about it with my parents and they started to monitor my accounts to make sure I wasn’t gambling anymore. My friends were also a huge help by keeping me away from that scene and not doing it in front of me.”

According to HelpMyGamblingProblem.org, 1 in 10 college students has a gambling addiction. The location of UNR’s campus and having mobile gambling legal in Nevada makes things even more complicated here.

Another 22-year-old student who wished to remain anonymous shared his experiences of trying out downtown casinos. “I wouldn’t say I’m a gambling addict, but I’ve definitely played my fair share of blackjack down at the [Cal] Neva,” he said.

“It’s right down the street. When you’re drunk with your buddies on a Thursday night and everybody starts to hit the town, the casinos are always on the map. It also doesn’t help that the bar scene around here isn’t the best, and other than that, there’s not much to do.”

Despite this, campus support options feel under publicized and scarce. UNR offers confidential counseling and referrals for gambling addiction, but most students interviewed said they didn’t know about that.

Justin Trimble, a former UNR student who works at the Silver Legacy, says he sees many younger bracket individuals entering casinos.

“I’ve worked here for four years, and it seems every year there’s more and more fake IDs. Plus, I always see tons of college kids a lot of times my own classmates,” he said.

“Well, for me personally and what I witnessed my friends go through, it wasn’t because we didn’t care,” he said of gambling issues. “It’s just that our stress is high, and gambling feels like a distraction that doesn't look dangerous.”

Those interviewed for this report agree implementing more gambling awareness into dorm meetings, freshman orientation, and events on campus could counteract many of the problems students are facing. A lot of students are unaware of the dangers of gambling because they don’t come from Nevada or are simply uneducated about it.

“I’m from Oregon, so all this gambling nonsense was pretty new to me,” said a 23-year-old senior. “I didn’t understand how bad this would be for my mental health and my wallet. After the first win, it’s really hard to stop, and you find yourself doing it a lot. I wish I knew more about gambling when I first came up here. Maybe I wouldn’t have made the same mistakes,” he said.

One option for help is Reno Gamblers Anonymous, which has a location in Sparks, on South Rock Boulevard.

This location offers meetings on weekdays and weekends. They also offer meetings for Spanish speaking individuals. At these meetings, locals share their experiences with gambling in hopes of solving a common problem and helping others recover. This organization doesn’t require any dues or fees. The only requirement to attend is the desire to stop gambling, according to their website.

Gambling is part of Reno’s identity, whether people like it or not. The bright lights, the cheap tables, and the casinos only minutes away from campus are part of the local culture. But as more college students walk into those buildings or place bets from their phones in the middle of class, it becomes clear that this isn’t just a Reno problem, it’s a student problem.

The stories told by students at UNR show how easily gambling can change from a fun activity with friends to something that negatively affects grades, mental health, relationships, and financial stability. What starts as harmless can quickly spiral into something overwhelming, especially for young adults who are already dealing with school, work to help pay for it, and stress.

The difficult part is that most students don’t know where to turn. Support systems exist such as counseling services, Gamblers Anonymous, and other campus resources, but very few students have heard about them.

At the end of the day, college should be a place where students can learn, feel supported, and not be constantly stressed. Talking about gambling awareness won’t get rid of the problem entirely, but it can give students the tools they need in order to get help before their gambling gets too serious.

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