House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

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House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	January 26, 2017 09:30 AM
From:	Representative Tina M. Davis
To:	All House members
Subject:	Legislation that would provide for a University Gambling Policy

In the near future, I plan to re-introduce legislation from last session (House Bill 1921) that would amend the Public School Code of 1949, requiring schools within the State System of Higher Education and State-related schools to create and adopt a gambling policy. Although many young adults participate in a variety of gambling activities, according to information provided by the National Center for Responsible Gaming, only 22 percent of colleges and universities in the United States have formal policies on gambling. However, nationwide statistics have shown that a large number of college students gambled during the past year (whether legally or illegally, on campus or off). The most popular forms of gambling activities for college students are lotteries, card games, pools (including raffles and charitable small stakes gambling), sports betting, and games of skill (e.g., bowling, basketball, pool, golf, backgammon, darts). For some college students, gambling can turn into a serious problem and have severe and often negative consequences. Recent research estimates that six percent of college students in the United States have a serious gambling problem that can result in psychological difficulties, unmanageable debt, and failing grades. This legislation would require State System of Higher Education and State-related institutions to individually develop and adopt a gambling policy. Establishing on-campus gambling policies would provide clarification as to what is considered a violation and the subsequent disciplinary actions that may be taken. In addition, this legislation would encourage colleges and universities to promote campus-community collaborations to focus on reducing gambling problems and educate individuals in recognizing possible gambling disorders. This legislation would also provide assistance for individuals who are seeking help from healthcare and counseling services for a gambling problem and encourage universities to measure current students’ attitudes, behaviors, and the number of possible on-campus problems involving gambling, while promoting campus-wide awareness of gambling and its potentially negative consequences. Please join me in supporting this important legislation.

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