Celtic culture
Scottish and Irish heritage will be
revisited this weekend in a festival
featuring authentic food, music
and customs.
PAGE 3B
Students9 voices
“Speaking Through the Flowers” and
“Ewen,” two student-written one-act
plays, make up “New Voices at the
Arena Theatre this weekend.
PAGE 6B
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A bet with the
Internet
Online gambling is increasing in
accessibility and riskiness
By Josh Ryneal
Oregon Daily Emerald
Going to a casino used to be an adventure. In
decades past, one would have to make a road
trip to the hot, dusty gambling Mecca of Las Ve
gas, survive on all-you-can-eat shrimp buffets
and hold out for the big score that would make it
all worth it.
Not anymore.
Gamblers can now try their odds on the Inter
net, where countless online casinos and book
making operations have set up shop to bring the
gambling experience to your computer.
The varied Web sites offer 24-hour access to
casino-style gambling. Players can log on at any
time, bet scads of money and most often shut
down their computers poorer than when they
logged on.
At a time when Internet usage is exploding
and consumers are finding new ways to talk and
shop online, it seems only natural that casinos
would follow the scent of Internet cash. But
gambling online is an often dangerous proposi
tion that makes it even easier to lose money at
casinos.
Luca Jacky, a biology graduate student, said
that he dabbled in online sports betting and
came out a loser.
“I lost money at generally every type of casino
game I tried,” he said. “I also bet on sports
games and won some money, but it’s pretty
risky, and I don’t do it anymore.”
Jacky said he lost interest in online gambling
because he found it difficult to collect some of
his winnings and it was hard to place his trust
in an online operation.
“It’s unregulated, so I got the impression that
it was a pretty questionable area,” he said. “And
it s kind of a pain in the ass to get your money
when you’ve won. Once, I didn’t get a check,
but the place is in Antigua, so what are you go
ing to do?”
Betting on casino games and sports events at
unlicensed gambling operations is illegal in Ore
gon, and offenders face a stiff fine or even prison
Turn to Gambling, page 2B
Russell Weller Emerald