There are underworld figures who line up campus bookies to collect all these harmless bets that add up quickly to thousands and thousands of illegal dollars, not to mention unreported income. Law enforcement officials will tell you that gambling money fu els more malicious forms of criminality. It is not uncommon for campus bookies or student bettors to dig a huge financial hole for themselves. They have been threatened with and received serious bodily harm for not paying off lost bets. Parents have somet imes been forced to bail out Junior before his legs are relocated.
Athletes are particularly vulnerable.
If they get into a financial hole with underworld figures, they can use their position to affect the outcome of games or feed inside information to the wise guys. This creates a very dangerous milieu. And college adm inistrators should treat such gambling seriously and harshly. Athletes, whether on scholarship or not, should not be engaged in illegal gambling. For starters, they sign agreements with their colleges not to violate NCAA rules.