Gambling at East

“The last leg of my parlay didn’t hit last night, I could have won $100.”

“I am slamming Eagles moneyline on Sunday.”

“Heat -4.5 is a lock tonight.”

These are some of the lines that you might hear when you walk around the halls of Cherry Hill East. Over the past couple years, sports gambling has plagued many students at East and has become a daily part of their lives. WIth the gambling age being 21 in New Jersey, students are using their parents’ accounts to bet on top apps like FanDuel or DraftKings or are using illegal gambling sites that don’t ask you for your age. 

One anonymous East senior said that he bets daily and even sometimes while sitting in class. He typically will bet only around $10 a day but at times he has bet up to $150-$200 in a single day. This student said that he has a system that he uses to manage his betting to avoid developing an unhealthy addiction.

“Gambling has had a mixed impact on me,” the student said. “While providing me with good entertainment and fun, occasionally I can get carried away. I have a set system where I take a break when I am getting carried away.”

Another anonymous east senior says he makes 2-3 bets per day but never during school so he can focus on his school work. For this student, addiction has been a problem. One day, he lost $700 because he kept losing his bets and kept placing more to try to make up for them. He says that it can be difficult to control his gambling because of the desire to win that large bet.

“When I’m up a lot of money, I can’t control myself,” this student said. “I feel like I keep having to bet more to continue on the hot streak. When I bet in small amounts, it’s easier to control myself because the loss is not as significant.

For these two students and many others, the decision to go into gambling has been a dangerous one that can lead to an unhealthy addiction. People interested in betting should set limits on how often they bet and how much money they are betting a day. This will allow everyone to enjoy the entertainment of sports betting without developing an addiction that can lead someone down a dark path.