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Since gambling is all about odds and numbers, let's start off with a percentage: Thirty-five percent
of male student athletes and 10 percent of female student athletes at NCAA colleges and universities participated in some form of gambling last year, according to the NCAA's 2003 National Study on Collegiate Sports Wagering and Associated Health Risks. The study was conducted from the responses of 21,000 participating athletes -- all of whom responded anonymously.

Myles Brand, president of the NCAA, bets its something to worry about. "With percentages and numbers like these, there is no college or university in the NCAA that can claim they do not have a gambling problem on campus," he says. "The risk is real. We want to be ahead of this problem."

So what's the fuss over betting your bucks? According to the survey, the students' top three reasons were "having fun," "winning money," and "feeling excitement."

Last time we checked, having fun and feeling excitement were better left to playing the sports themselves, not spending money on it. And as far as winning money goes, we all know gamblers are losing more often than they are winning.

We're not here to preach about what you should do with your money, but we would hate to see you wind up with a habit that taps your already-slim college budget. College-bound athletes should stay focused on the game, not the gambling.

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