Easy access, sophisticated sites create potential for compulsion

Tom Verdin

Sunday, Feb. 27, 2000 | 10:17 a.m.

LOS ANGELES - The names are as alluring as the promise of easy money: VegasUSA, RoyalFlush.net, Caribbean Gold, Supercraps.com.

Internet casinos, more than 700 of which operate worldwide, lure players with snazzy graphics, real-life features like the sound of coins cascading from winning slot machines and the type of come-ons that are customary in the ever-expanding gambling universe.

VegasUSA asks visitors to "Sign-Up Today to Win $1,000." Grand Dominican Online Casino trumpets its "$1,000 monthly and $10,000 yearly cash giveaways." The Belmont Sportsbook and Casino offers a "Free Cash sign-up bonus," boasting "23 Las Vegas style casino games."

And the big bonus: Instant gratification.

Players say it's an intoxicating draw, the thrill of regular casinos without having to brave the desert heat of Las Vegas or the chill of the Jersey shore.

Michele Jansen, a registered nurse from Jacksonville, Fla., who has been playing slot machines and video poker online for six months, knows how enticing the virtual casinos can be. She typically bets just $20 at a time, but once lost $150.

"I was totally addicted that day and kept losing but just kept putting more money in," she said. "My husband was so mad at me, and I cried. But I kept thinking, 'I'm going to win.' I think it was hard because I was on the computer at home and I was alone ... It was real easy to just click the button - and then the money would go."

An estimated 2 million Americans gambled online in 1999, wagering $1.1 billion, according to industry research. The number of U.S. online gamblers is expected to double this year, even as Congress debates a ban on Internet casino games.

The rising popularity of cyber casinos is evident everywhere on the Internet, from the "Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Gambling" available through e-commerce booksellers to the chat rooms in which gamblers share tips about various sites and swap stories of winning and losing.

One gambler recently bragged about spending the "extra" time at work placing bets on Internet casinos. Another noted losing $500 in 45 minutes.

Industry representatives said they are trying to police themselves, providing Internet links to gambling-addiction groups and creating programs to filter out under-age players.

Some operators, however, say that while they try to weed out minors, it is not their place to worry about whether their games promote compulsive gambling.

"It's like alcohol. If you like to drink, you drink," said Giancarlo Bettini, chief executive officer of Antigua-based Global-Player.com. "The same with gaming or the same with drugs. It's not really on us to say you're not allowed to gamble."

Beverly Richard agrees responsibility lies with the players. But she said the convenience offered by Internet casinos is too tempting.

The Cranston, R.I, resident began sinking into debt playing slot machines at Indian casinos and race tracks, even cashing out her modest retirement savings to feed her habit.

But she said the problem grew worse when she discovered gambling online. She recalls sneaking to her personal computer after her husband would leave for work, running home on lunch hours to play games on virtual slot machines and neglecting to answer the telephone because she couldn't pull herself away from her computer.

"To an addicted gambler, it's not the money. It's just the thrill of winning. It's the pursuit," she said. "It's like a hamster on a treadmill. You go faster and faster and faster. You're chasing your losses."

Her last online bet was Dec. 23. Afterward, she and her husband deleted every casino site downloaded on their computer and asked that her name be scratched from the sites' e-mail lists.