Making Book on Campus

A Big Winner:

"You see so much money in sports," said John, a gambler turned bookie at the University of Arizona, "you feel entitled to get in on the action yourself." John began placing bets with a campus bookie within a week of arriving at school, and when his bookie graduated, he inherited the operation. In his two years of taking bets, he made more than $150,000 from about 75 regular gamblers, mostly fellow college students.

He used the system favored by most college bookies. Each client got a number and maintained a running account, or "book." Nearly all communication was done by cell phone. The less everybody knew about one another, the better. He paid his tuition and his girlfriend's tuition, funded big parties, traveled and lived large. "Being at the top was definitely worth it," he said.

To limit his liability, John never accepted bets over $1000 and never let anyone's debt exceed $500. In a typical week he would do $50,000 in business and usually came out on top. In a busy week, he worked three or four hours a day and, in the last eight months of his operation, he netted around $80,000.

John's employees included a bookkeeper, a collector and several lower-tier "runners" (all students), who took the bets. Clients often called begging for credit, but John stuck to his rules. If a student could not pay him cash, John accepted bicycles, television sets and VCRs.

"And I never wanted to know who they were," he said, echoing other campus bookies who often draw a sharp line between friends and clients.

"It's a dangerous business. If I'd been caught I would have been expelled and probably prosecuted," he said. "We were always the winner in the end. Collecting bets is so much better than placing them, because the house always wins in the end." When John graduated last year, he left his operation to one of his runners who "showed promise." John himself still bets, but he has abandoned bookmaking for the risks of the stock market.

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The Numbers

In Minnesota, according to a recent poll by the state's Institute of Public Health, 84 percent of college men surveyed reported gambling at least once in the previous year. In 1998 and 1999, Americans, many of them college students, bet more than $650 million on college sports. Super Bowl bets, including countless office pools, amounted to $30 million.

If you're not interested in gambling, you rarely hear about it. But once you have a bookie, it seems everybody you know is gambling and fluent in the argot of parlays, spreads, over-unders and juice.

Zebra Role Models

According to a study by the University of Michigan, most college referees have engaged in gambling. The findings, published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, reveal that more than 84 percent of the 640 football and basketball officials who participated in the survey said they gambled--but never on games they had officiated. Nor, they all said, had they ever provided inside information to anyone. "But two acknowledged that their awareness of the point spread on a particular game affected the way they called it," the journal reported.

Two Big Losers

Two students, one at the University of Arkansas and the other at Arkansas State, showed why gambling can get a bad name. When they were sophomores in high school they met a bookie at the Champs sporting goods store in the mall and, pooling their money, started their star-crossed careers in wagering. Shortly afterward, they upgraded their account to a bookie in Las Vegas. Once they were in college they increased their pace and found themselves $5000 in debt. They decided to bet their way out and, after a lucky Saturday early in the 1999 football season, chipped the debt down to $200. Feeling confident, they put money they did not have on Sunday and Monday baseball games--and found themselves $20,000 in debt by Tuesday morning. Then they did what other foolish college gamblers usually do--they realized that the word parents is a synonym for ace in the hole. One father paid his son's entire debt and the other parents compelled their wayward son to take out a loan, using his car as collateral.

Dice

Bill, an architecture student in San Diego, always carries dice in his pocket. "You know, in case people want to gamble," he explained. And, he said, they usually do. "It's a rush because there's money on the line."

According to Bill, you have to keep rolling to win. "You have to go into it knowing you'll lose, and then you can win. One night I started out with $3 and left with $30."

He and some friends recently had a "pimps and hos" party where shooting craps was one of the themes. The guys wore bright, tacky suits and the girls wore fishnet stockings, high heels and not much else. James Brown was on the stereo and Dolemite was in the VCR. Even the girls were into it. "Girls who had never rolled before were walking away with up to $30. And they were loving it. It's definitely addictive when you're winning," he said.

A Classroom can be Just Like a Casino, Without the Buffet

Many classes are held in computer labs, making it possible to play craps or place bets with an online casino, check out the spreads, the lineups and the injured lists and otherwise research upcoming games--all while appearing to listen to the lecturer.

Market Gambling

"Some guys I know who gamble also trade stock," said a student at a small New England college. "It's really the same thing, because you research stocks like you research teams and then all you have to do is get online. It's the same rush too, to win big, and day trading is legal. A lot of guys do both. It's the same ones who drink a lot and are out to get laid--they all trade and gamble too. It all goes together. At parties, half the time you're talking about girls and the other half you're talking about trading stocks online or gambling.

"A friend of mine doesn't schedule any of his classes between 9:30 and 4:30--during market hours--so he can stay home and trade all day."

The Prize for Best Idea for a Term Paper this Year Goes To ...

A recent Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate, who, even before audiences saw Boiler Room, the story of a wild-man stockbroker who runs a casino for college students, caught the current mood of testosterone-charged competitiveness when he wrote a term paper called "Stockbrokers and Bookies: How They Have the Same Damn Job." He got an A.

Cross-Eyed Poker

Poker games are popular in fraternities and they're usually played in the party room, close to a television, so the guys can play cards and keep an eye on a game--or the ESPN ticker. College poker players follow traditional rules--never count your money at the table, never leave the table while you're winning. But there's a college variation: Never admit to boning your fraternity brother's girl.

Beware of Real Bookies

"If you got in over your head, you can deal with a kid who may be in some of your classes than a lowlife who may be packing. You can't give your PlayStation to a bookie in Vegas. Plus, gambling is so social, it's nice to know your bookie--you see him on campus, in your fraternity. He's more accessible and less threatening," said Nick, of Central Michigan University.

Bookie Etiquette

A sign of the times is that it's a serious breach of campus manners to ask just anyone where you can find a drug dealer. But asking about a bookie is as harmless as asking about a bookstore. It's a safe bet that a bookie, who is usually busy on a cell phone and never far from a TV (especially on big game days), is just a phone call away.

Unsuccessful Bookies

David, a bookie, gambler and recent graduate of Michigan State University, lived in a fraternity house where two of his brothers were bookies. David took calls for them and in return was comped $100 every week for gambling.

David himself bet all the time he was in college. "It's definitely more interesting to have money on a game. I think it makes anything more interesting." Stressful, but interesting. The most he ever had "on paper" during one game day was $5000. He never left the couch or the remote. He was glued to the TV, watching all the day's scores.

"But we were in college so it didn't really matter how we ended up. We would start the day saying, 'If I win today, I'm getting really drunk tonight.' But then we'd say, 'If I lose today, I'm getting really drunk tonight.' We were boozing either way."

The operation was friendly and did not need an intimidating collector. According to David, "college bookies are different from the big-time guys. Our clients are mostly college students. We don't have to bring in big thugs to bust them up for not paying. Most college kids either have the money or they can get it." One of their clients sold his Bose Lifestyle system, and another just gave them his brand-new stereo.

But David's employers went out of business a few months after he started working for them.

David continues to gamble but has left the bookmaking business. "I don't deal with my friends anymore," he said. "Strangers are more apt to pay up quicker. They're also more apt to make you pay, but it's still better than getting involved with friends.

"Everyone seems to be involved in gambling. It can be a vicious cycle. Some people just get hit harder than others," he said.

Sex Bets:

How many girls can you have sex with in a semester? In this wager, guys usually put $50 in a pot and use a point system that assigns different values to different sexual conquests. Details vary from campus to campus, but it usually goes something like this:

Girlfriend: one point (You get one point for having a girlfriend to have sex with, not a point every time you sleep with her.)

Ex-girlfriend: one and a half points

Teacher: five points

Blow job: half a point

Blow job from a teacher: four points

Fat girl: half a point

Gorgeous girl: two points (must be certified gorgeous by every guy in the pool)

Follow-up with same gorgeous girl: one point

Anal sex: one and a half points

Pierced tongue: half a point

Most diverse list of sexual partners: In this contest, conquests are categorized for diversity: redhead, blonde, brunette, athlete, cheerleader, Asian, Indian, African American, Swedish (and so on) each worth one point. At the end of the semester the top scorer takes the pot.

How many girls can you have sex with in one night?

How many girls in the new pledge class of a certain sorority can you sleep with?

In many fraternities, the first new member who has sex on the fraternity seal gets $100, collected from other members of the pledge class.

Are her boobs real or fake?

Will she spit or swallow?

I'm Drunker Than You Are:

In this wager, popular at Ohio State, the University of Connecticut, Harvard, East Carolina, Penn State and Michigan State, the prop is a Breathalyzer of the sort police use to measure the level of alcohol in a person's blood. The contest pits two guys against each other. One of them calls for the device, often part of a bar's equipment, stored behind the bar and each gambler offers up his breath. The winner is the drinker who would be least qualified to drive, and the loser usually hands over $5--or buys the winner a beer--and tries to catch up on the next round. "Double or nothing" usually works.

The Sadistic Practices of Some College Bookies:

Begging didn't work. Nor did promises that they would be getting more money soon. But several University of Tennessee students were able to get more credit from their bookies when, with the bookies watching, they ate light-bulbs and spoonfuls of another student's vomit.

Only in College:

A group of students at Boston College were convinced that they had all done badly on a Spanish midterm. "So we started saying, 'I bet I did worse than you,' and 'I'll give you 10 bucks if you got an A,'" Jay recalls. "So I decided to make odds for the test and become the bookie for the Spanish class while we waited for the grades to be posted. I gave 1--5 odds to straight-up beat me, because I knew I did shitty and I didn't want to lose too badly. But then I gave 3-1 odds to beat me by five points and 4-1 odds to beat me by more than 15 points. I think I lost about 10 bucks. We're doing it again for the final. This time, of course, we have to make the odds before we take the test, or people might blow the exam just to win the bet."

More Proof That God Looks After Drunks (and Gamblers):

A Georgetown University student mingled shots of tequila with bolder and bolder online bets until he finally collapsed into bed. He woke up with the haziest memories of the night before--and dread about what he might have done. When he checked his online account he found it had $9000 more than when he had cracked the tequila bottle. "I don't call it a system," he said.

Busting Bookies:

Convicting a student bookmaker is tough. If the student is a first-time offender, authorities tend to look the other way, unless violence is involved. In 1998 a student bookie at the University of Florida hired a "collector," who happened to be a police informant, to persuade another student to pay his gambling debt. Law enforcement authorities quoted in The Chronicle of Higher Education said the bookie told the collector to employ "any means necessary--including breaking the student's fingers and toes."

Red Alert:

"I told my roomy that I ate nothing but red rope licorice," a student at Virginia Commonwealth University said. "He said I was exaggerating. I told him that in the name of science I'd eat nothing but red rope. He bet me $20 that I couldn't do it for a week. After three days, I was in the fetal position and shitting red stuff. I gave my roommate $20 dollars and proceeded to throw up for the next two days straight. I performed my experiment in the name of science and it failed."

Other College Bets:

Who won't be back next semester?

How long can you go without changing your sheets?

How long can you go without doing laundry?

How long can you wear the same jeans?

How many classes can you skip without failing?

How many days into the winter can you wear shorts?

Who will dare to defecate on a rival fraternity's property? (Often, an upperclassman will announce, "I have $20 here for the pledge who's got the balls to shit on their porch," or some other rallying cry.)

Who will be the first to drop out of the fraternity due to hazing?

How many days will Professor X wear the same sweater vest?

How long will the residents of a house, apartment or fraternity allow dirty dishes to sit around?

How many different meals can you make using ramn noodles?

Who will puke during drinking games?

The Sad Tale of the Silly Little Rich Kid:

"He was a total baller," recalled a friend of a well-heeled recent graduate of a New England college. For him, college was a blur of craps and blackjack at various casinos and routine bets of thousands of dollars on football games.

After college, according to his friend (he refused to be interviewed), he moved to California and devoted all his time to partying, getting laid and gambling. He also met a real bookie, the sort who never went near a college. Very shortly afterward, he was down $32,000. His bookie was blunt. "Listen, bro, you're rich. So pay up," he said. Motivated, the young man sold stock, paid his debts and drew the attention of his father, who demanded that he attend Gamblers Anonymous meetings.

How to Get in Over Your Head:

Double up, double up, double up.

Video Game Gambler:

"If you say John Madden to any guy my age. he'll know what you're talking about," said Joe, a junior at the University of Tennessee. His gambling focuses on John Madden Football, a Sony PlayStation game. He has never bet on a real football game in his life, but he's a big-time PlayStation gambler. "It's like betting on your own performance. You have some control over the game. Everyone that comes into our room wants to play for money. It definitely brings up the intensity. One of our friends throws the controllers and hits stuff. He put a few holes in the wall too. He has a lot of rage. It's a tough game and it's pretty realistic. We play all the time so sometimes we pick old-timer teams, like the 1985 Bears versus the 1986 Giants, just to keep it interesting."

Joe's friends have established a John Madden Football season, in which each person picks a team and "becomes" them for a six-week season. All the players ante up different sums (usually $10) at the beginning of the season. If you miss a "game" or otherwise inconvenience the other players, chances are you get a $5 penalty. The player with the best record at the end of the season gets the whole pot. "You'd overhear these guys at parties talking about the upsets in their video game series. 'Did you hear Johnny lost to Mike today?' They'd rank their players, too," Joe said.

Techno Gambler:

Greg graduated in December 1999 with a science degree from a prestigious school in upstate New York, and gambling was certainly part of his education.

He began betting in his fraternity house. "You wake up on Saturday morning and there's nothing to do, so you throw $25 on a game," he said. He kept track of his gambling with an Excel spreadsheet on his computer. "I logged the date of each bet and described the wager, like 'took Rams for $200.' On the next column I wrote whether I won or lost and then I figured the math plus or minus the juice, which is the five to 10 percent the bookie takes. When it came time to square up on Sunday, I always knew where I was. All week, you win some and you lose some. It's important to keep track of how you're doing."

He eventually stopped using his computer. "Even though you can delete files, experts can still locate them on your PC. Eventually, I went to paper. You can burn paper," he said.

He doesn't see why some people want to suppress his hobby. "Who cares about $50 on a football game when there are five lines of coke sitting on the table? It's by far the lesser of two evils."

Here, Kid, the First One's Free (and So Is the Second, and the Third):

A group of gamblers at Richmond University in Virginia figured out how to make the most of an Internet gambling site that offered a one-time-only $25 credit to lure new customers. The site's backers were confident that a $25 giveaway would be a good investment and that no one could collect twice because a player's identification was registered when he logged on. But university computers do not record log-ons of individuals, and each time a student logged on, he received another free $25 to play with.

In this popular campus endurance contest, the idea is to see who can stay on a couch the longest without getting up--or falling asleep. Brief bathroom breaks are permitted. Food must be delivered by a noncompetitor. A contestant can watch movies, play video games, read or talk to friends. He loses if he leaves the couch, even to change the TV channels if, as often happens, he loses the remote. A student at MSU claims the national title, with 28 hours of potatoness.

College students love to bet. How much? Playboy talked to students at more than 50 colleges and universities across the country about their wagering ways. Odds are, you won't believe what we found.

"He'd come home and say, 'I won six grand last night,' or 'Shit, I dropped nine grand last night.'" He could always get the money. And college bookies, usually his classmates, rarely displayed impatience.

He stopped using his computer out of caution. "Even though you can delete files, experts can still locate them on your PC. Eventually I went to paper. You can burn paper," he said.