The student news site of Peddie School

The Peddie News

The student news site of Peddie School

The Peddie News

The student news site of Peddie School

The Peddie News

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Opinion: Casino Night Should Not Take Place at Peddie

By Yvonne Zhou ’15
Staff Writer

The casino night held on Jan. 4 appeared to be a memorable time for students who had just returned from a relaxing vacation. Although the excitement offered students one last carefree night before the official start of school after winter break, the appropriateness of the casino night needs to be rethought.

Early exposure to casino games inevitably poses temptation for teenagers. There are just reasons for why minors are not allowed to gamble in real casinos in places such as Las Vegas, as minors have not reached the age where they are capable of making rational decisions for themselves and taking up serious responsibilities. Teenagers are still supervised by their parents, and some have not yet learned how to balance gains and losses. Because casino games can quickly spiral out of control, it is inevitable that immature students will make prudent decisions before they fully understand the rules, even in fake casino games.

“Even though [students] are not playing with real money, the temptation is still there and that could eventually lead to the habit of gambling,” Karen Kurniawan’15 said.

Though casino night was undeniably a fresh idea, gambling is a controversial topic. Gambling is not approved in some modern cultures even for adults, if not openly opposed. Several students who wished to remain anonymous stated that gambling has always been regarded as a degenerate action in some Asian countries. Consequently, the casino night might be considered insensitive to some international students.

“Although casino night is billed as a time for fun and games, such a spin on the nature of casinos can potentially misguide students when they visit an actual casino into thinking they are merely playing games and causing them to forget that they are spending very real money,” Lynna Ye ’15 said.

While the Casino Night is a good attempt to promote bonding between students, the controversy it leads to is unacceptable.

“People who have never played these games before might have felt excluded [at Casino Night],” Anthony Chau ’14 said.

Although many commend the Saturday Night Activities committee for their efforts, they agree that a casino night is probably not the best option.

“The casino night was cool, but there could be more options for students to choose from,” Alex Baum ’15 said.

“A quote I heard I think [sums up the dangers of a Casino Night]: ‘It takes three months to foster a good habit, it takes three days to be trapped in a bad one’” Kurniawan said.

 

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