Michael Uribes/The Collegian

With a Fresno County unemployment rate of 16.9 percent, coupled with rising tuition costs, some Fresno State students are exploring alternative methods to make ends meet.

For some students, alternative methods can be a gamble and very risky, but for some students it is exactly that. To make ends meet, some students have turned to online gambling.

Sites like Full Tilt Poker and Poker Stars have been around for several years and are gaining in popularity among college students.

According to the October 2010 National Annenberg Survey of youth, monthly use of Internet gambling sites among college-age males has nearly quadrupled in 2 years from 4.4 percent to 16.1 percent.

Rita Bocchinfuso-Cohen, director of career services at Fresno State, said that ever since the economy experienced a downturn, students have taken to more unorthodox forms of making an income.

“Students are looking for flexibility and are looking for something that will fit in their schedules,” Cohen said. “They are looking for something that will fit their schedule and something that they can make a decent pay.”

Jordan Butler, a computer science major, said he plays online poker on a regular basis as a source of extra income.

“Playing online allows me to make extra money,” Butler said. “It’s great because it acts like an emergency savings because I leave half of the money I win in my online account, and I can withdraw it anytime I need it.”

Butler said he and his friends started playing because having a single job to pay bills isn’t always enough, especially when taking 12 or more units.

The thrill and chance to turn a couple dollars into a few hundred dollars can be very attractive to some students.

“In the time I’ve been playing I’ve won about $8,000,” Butler said.

Though the payoff can be big, online poker is just as much of a gamble as traditional poker, and there are no guarantees.

Butler said he has had numerous days when he lost more money then he as made.

“When I would lose money, I would feel terrible but then it made me want to get back on and win it back,” Butler said.

Butler said he has been playing for a few years because he didn’t have to be 21 to play.

Although sites like Full Tilt Poker and Poker Stars require users to be at least 18 years of age to download the software and participate, but some students have found ways around them.

One student, who wishes to remain anonymous, said it is not rare for people under the age of 18 to participate in online gambling.

“I and some of my friends have played online poker when we weren’t 18 and it wasn’t that hard to do so,” he said. “We would just have one of our older friends sign up and use their bank accounts for us. They would give us the money when we won and we would give them a share of the profits for helping us.”

As the popular of online poker continues to grow, so has the question of its legality within the United States. Because there aren’t any legal precedents concerning online poker the legality of it remains in question.

As long as online poker continues to remain a legal gray area and the economy remains in the state it is, these students will continue to play.

“I may play to make money, but I also play because it’s fun and I will continue to do so for the rest of life,” Butler said.