Daniel Negreanu. Phil Helmuth. Johnny Chan.

Just names to many, but to plenty of college students here at NIU and across the nation these poker players are idols.

The ease with which they win millions of dollars has prompted half of all college men to gamble at cards at least once a month, according to a recent study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

In the poker boom of the past few years, playing poker online has exploded into a $12 billion industry.

This of course raised flags within the U.S. government. So last week, Congress passed a bill prohibiting the use of credit cards, checks and electronic fund transfers for online gaming.

The thought behind the bill is that by cutting off the ways people — especially young people — can put money into the sites to actually gamble with, then it will cut down on the gambling.

It’s a solid idea, except like any other illegal activity, if someone wants to do it they will find a way.

The same will hold true for college students and online poker playing.

It’s an incredible feeling to win hundreds of dollars in an hour, but it’s the worst feeling to lose more than that in seconds.

That’s the risk college students are running by investing money into online poker, which is why, ideally, the government is trying to step in.

Although college students might continue to gamble, it will now become more difficult for them to lose money with the speed and convenience only the Internet can provide.

This bill is a good step in preventing the problems gambling can cause, but more must be done to warn current and future gamblers of the risks involved.