Colorado seminar gives ROTC students tools to deal with problem gambling

Saturday, November 25, 2023 5:08 PM
  • Jill R. Dorson, US Bets

As dawn broke over the Rocky Mountains on Nov. 15, more than 150 ROTC members stood at attention in the shadow of the University of Colorado’s Folsom Field, preparing for their day. By the the time the sun breached the mountains, the cadets were seated in a classroom pondering questions about gambling.

A five-question survey that explored what a person knew about gambling — for example, whether slot machines, scratch tickets, bingo, 50/50 raffles, or watching an NBA game are considered gambling — was the first step in a new program through Kindbridge Research Institute to educate ROTC students about gambling addiction.

Dave Yeager, retired from the Army and recovering from gambling addiction, opened the session by asking, “What are common kinds of gambling?”