British Students Turn to Gambling to Pay Tuition

When due to economic crisis, the British government decided to hike tuition at universities to 9,000 GBP ($16,000) a year, many students have found themselves in trouble. In the United States, of course, tuition can be higher, even much higher, but Americans are prepared for that. Many parents plan for years how to send their offspring to a university by saving funds.

In Britain, though, it was quite different as the cost of higher education always was lower. However, the budget cuts came and students and their families suddenly realized they may not be able to pay for school. As a solution, many students are turning to gambling, hoping to break a progressive jackpot and win big.

The rise of online casinos in United Kingdom is not surprising given the long tradition of gambling on the British Islands.

Moreover, liberal British gambling laws allow for betting outfits, including both casinos and sportsbooks, to operate freely. This has also led to strength of the British bookmaking firms, which are among the biggest players in the industry. Names such as William Hill or Ladbrokes are well known around the globe.

The British students may find themselves playing via a smartphone making a mobile roulette bet a day before tuition is due. Many students are enticed by the poker tournaments, some of which are specifically opened to the university student population. The British poker rooms are filled with young people.

Some even become champs and knock down from the pedestal older gurus who increasingly find themselves lost in the modern age of poker, which involves lots of science and less of reading of a mind of the opponent.

Many critics blame the advertising of online casinos and sportsbooks as the root cause of gambling problems. On the other hand, the British regulations are already quite strict when it comes to gambling advertising.

There are even groups calling themselves Gamblers Anonymous, and these were established based on Alcoholics Anonymous concept. These gambling help-organizations tend to raise awareness of excessive betting and some gamblers are already attending these.