If you’re looking for help with an addiction to online gambling, there are several options. You can visit your doctor or a gambling help organization in your state. You can also conduct a search on the Internet for “Internet gambling addiction help” and the city or state you live in. There are also local listings of groups like Gamblers Anonymous.
One recent survey shows that 20% of college students regularly play online poker. In addition, more than five million college-age males visit an online gambling website at least once a month. The prevalence of online gambling among youths has exploded in recent years. In 2008, four percent of college-age males gambled at least once a week. In 2010, the percentage of monthly use increased to 16.0%.
There is also a risk that online gambling sites could be run by criminals. Some states have criminal laws prohibiting the sale or operation of illegal gambling websites. Federal prosecutors have even seized $3.2 million from a Discovery Communications subsidiary that accepted ads from Costa Rican casino operations. In addition, PayPal has also been warned by federal prosecutors that it might face prosecution.
The criminal code of Canada prohibits gambling activities that are not regulated by the provincial government. This law also prohibits participating in games of chance and lottery schemes that are not licensed by the government. However, in Canada, online gambling has been legal since 2010 when the British Columbia Lottery Corporation launched PlayNow, a web-based gambling site. The province of Quebec also has a legal online casino through Loto-Quebec.