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Casino Gambling TablesDuquesne University President Protests Plans to Build Casino NearbyThe plan by partners Isle of Capri Casinos and the Pittsburgh Penguins to build a casino in Pittsburgh's Lower Hill District has been subject to criticism by officials from nearby Duquesne University.Duquesne University President Charles Dougherty said that he is concerned about the proximity of the proposed casino to his university's students."About one-third of them live on campus, and we don't want them exposed to a slots parlor within a five-minute walk of campus." Duquesne University has 10,000 students, the overwhelming majority of whom are under 21 years of age. President Dougherty stressed that he has nothing against the Pittsburgh Penguins or the Isle of Capri casino chain; nor is he opposed to their plan to build a casino together. However, he does believe that the casino and the university would not be the most suitable of neighbors. ![]() "We're fast friends with the Penguins," he said. "We think the casino should be placed away from large concentrations of students and the owners forced to contribute to build a new arena." President Dougherty said that he was concerned that students would begin to frequent a casino if it were a stone's throw away, potentially creating gambling addictions en masse. He cited a Harvard University study which concluded that college- aged individuals are much more likely to succumb to problematic gambling behavior than are both adults and younger people. College students are three times more likely than adults, and 20.5 percent more likely than younger adolescents, to demonstrate symptoms of problematic gambling. He was also worried about other, related problems that could result from such close proximity with a casino: "We also know that in some cases, casinos have drawn other problems like problems with alcohol, problems with illegal drugs and problems with prostitution." The Duquesne University president said that he had made the decision to speak out about the casino after consulting with his staff and the university's board of directors. Spokespeople for the Penguins/ Isle of Capri casino project expressed dismay at President Dougherty's remarks. "If the concern is that Duquesne students will frequent the casino, we want them to know the Isle of Capri is adamant about enforcing the age requirement of 21 to gamble," said David Morehouse, a consultant for the Penguins. However, President Dougherty said that he did not believe that an age limit would stop underage students from frequenting the casino. It would simply, he said, create an even larger demand for fake IDs. Other universities in the area of the proposed casino, The University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, have not expressed any opinion about its location. ![]() Online Casino - Play at Online Carnival Casino and Get $777 free cash.
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