DeKALB | If you’re gonna play the game, you’ve gotta learn to play it right.

Whether you see it or not, gambling is everywhere, especially among college students. Known as the “silent addiction,” gambling can become a highly addictive, and highly expensive, habit.

Know when to hold ‘em

According to the Illinois Higher Education Center, 80 percent of college students nationwide have engaged in gambling within the past year; furthermore, 20 percent are reported to gamble on a weekly basis, and five percent have a gambling problem so severe it could be classified as an addiction.

They continue to state that the habit, much like many others, can be formed initially by watching their parents engaging in the same activity.

Thanks to the available gambling methods of casinos, card games, athletic events and increasingly-popular online poker Web sites, today’s adolescents report gambling addictions nearly twice as frequently as adults. Sometimes they can fall prey to the obsession in their early teens.

Know when to fold ‘em

The repercussions of falling into debt can be severe.

“It becomes difficult to meet everyday expectations, and individuals are likely to suffer, becoming vulnerable to feelings of depression and anxiety as debts continue to pile up,” said Richard Long, psychologist at the Counseling and Student Development Center. “There’s an invisible sense of shame and depression.

“People become afraid to seek help because they are so ashamed. This combined with anxiety often leads to serious feelings of hopelessness and suicide.”

Know when to walk away

The aforementioned statistics suggest gambling is hardly unusual on any college campus.

“When you’re talking about a group of friends playing cards, I would say that’s fairly prevalent,” said University Police Lt. Matthew Kiederlen. “However, when it comes to organized gambling events and situations involving bookies, it’s not prevalent.”

Gambling on campus has not been a major area of concern for the University Police.

“It’s not something that’s an issue,” Kiederlen said. “If it’s just a bunch of guys having fun playing cards on a Friday night, that’s not a major problem. However, if you start to talk in terms of hundreds or thousands of dollars, then it becomes a problem.”

Know when to run

There is not much objection to a friendly wager every now and then. However, when friendly wagers turn into betting the farm, problems can rise.

“Gambling is similar to other addictions in that it is a compulsive behavior, and a very big rush in itself,” Long said. “However, what it also can become is a destructive method of avoiding adult responsibility, hiding from emotional problems, and trying to feel calmer and more in control, even though their actual behavior puts it more out of control.”

Students should be advised that if one allows their obsession to take control of them, that the outcome could be dire.

“There are long term consequences,” Long said. “Though it makes them feel good in the moment, the compulsion can take on a life of its own, and the person simply becomes powerless against it.”

Justin Weaver is the University Police Beat Reporter for the Northern Star.