Bet Him To The Greek: Fraternities And Sports Wagering

The Alpha Delta Phi fraternity near the University of Washington's campus was hosting a Halloween party. It was the fraternity where Paul joined 30 years ago. He met Patrick Chester, 50, who is a member of the same fraternity. They met for pints of beer at a brewpub an hour earlier. Chester is talking about sports betting. He almost cost his family and went to jail. The party is taking place on the deck. Paul is going to be there. His friend is also. he graduated from the university in 1996. Sports betting is legal in Washington state. it was illegal in the state for a little over a year.

Patrick Chester lost $45,000 on a bet on the Super Bowl. Chester's brother-in-law lent him the money to pay back a rental company for some construction equipment he'd rented and illegally resold in order to keep betting. The sheriff ran the serial numbers and found out Chester had stolen the equipment. He was two years away from being charged with two counts of first-degree theft for stealing money from clients. A client threatened Chester with a gun when he was at home with his son. He had to come up with the cash before he could be charged. It was a bad beat for Chester.

Chester is a college student who has a gambling addiction. He is promoting problem gambling education to college students. He has reached 46 colleges in 22 states. His group is targeting fraternities and sororities. They have a formal partnership with the NCAA. Mike Buzzelli is the associate director of the Problem Gambling Network of Ohio. The group has been working to introduce similar education into collegiate Greek systems in Ohio and beyond. It's easy for a student to listen to him speak and say that 10 percent of college kids have problem with gambling. A kid can listen and think, ‘That won’t be me”.

Sports betting is a natural extension of bro-ing down. Marketing executive Siska Concannon believes the industry needs to broaden its appeal to women and minorities. Chester got a lot out of the talk. He was helped by an Alpha Delta Psi fraternity member to get his car back on flat land. The fraternity recently underwent a multimillion-dollar structural renovation. Chester and the Alpha Delts left the function early. They were enjoying a dopamine rush. It wasn't the first time. it wouldn't be the last. . .. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 10 or visit a local Samaritan branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.