Does gambling really deserve its bad reputation?
Becky Mitchell looks at both sides of the coin in this growing phenomenon Poker, blackjack, roulette, you name it, gambling has made a pretty impressive comeback. Forget the bright lights of distant Las Vegas; with the rise of the Internet, gambling has now moved into the closer confines of the home and more worryingly into the bedrooms of a growing number of students. Today it seems that gambling is separating itself from the rather mundane National Lottery, and into the somewhat more glamourous, yet more risky, arenas of poker and the virtual casino. Over the last few years, there has been a massive boom in Internet gambling, often with thousands of people across the world playing at any one time. While ten years ago, poker was a game only a talented few could play, restricted to seedy, underground, smoky bars, the Internet has made gambling accessible and now anyone and everyone can become involved, thus increasing the risk to those susceptible to loss and addiction. Recently concer
