Wendler: ‘Predatory’ Online Gambling Not Allowed at WT

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Online gambling sites can no longer be accessed using West Texas A&M University resources, including WiFi, WT President Walter V. Wendler has announced.

In a guest essay appearing in the Sept. 22 issue of the Amarillo Globe-News, then shared with the campus via email Sept. 23, Wendler decried the increasing prevalence of predatory gambling sites.

“College students at a particularly formative stage in their lives can develop habits and lifestyles that are akin to drug and substance abuse,” Wendler wrote.

“There is not a single thread of evidence shwoing predatory gambling has a positive impact on academic excellence,” he continued. “And the pursuit of excellence is our first job.”

Under the new policy, effective immediately, WT students, faculty and staff members will not be allowed to access any online gambling site utilizing state resources, including any WT-owned cell phones, laptops, tablets, desktops, and other internet-connected devices. Such websites also will be blocked for anyone using WT-provided WiFi, which includes visitors to Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the WT Enterprise Center and Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center.

According to the nonprofit news organization The Conversation, 6 percent of college students have gambling addiction problems. That’s twice the percentage of U.S. adults addicted to gambling.

“With the rise of online gambling and sports betting apps, access to gambling has never been easier,” Wendler wrote, saying that the easy access can foster the development of “more pervasive gambling habits among students.”

Students with gambling debts are more likely to use student loans, credit cards and personal loans to pay their debts and finance future bets.

WT’s belief that citizens’ rights are intrinsically tied to civic responsibilities is engrained in the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised nearly $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 58 undergraduate degree programs, one associate degree, and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—