To the Editor:
In the "Verbum Ultimum" of May 21, the editors write that "students at Dartmouth are generally intelligent and worldly enough to recognize the potential pitfalls of gambling and avoid them." Compulsive gambling, much like alcoholism or abuse of narcotics, is an addiction, and avoiding such addiction is not a matter of intelligence or worldliness. Alcoholics, drugs users and compulsive gamblers are not addicted because they are stupid or provincial. Addiction afflicts a huge spectrum of people, and to say that Dartmouth students will be able to outsmart any potential problems is hopelessly naive. I do not believe that poker at Dartmouth should be stopped or investigated by the Hanover Police, and I agree with The Dartmouth that it provides a healthy social activity for many students. But, please don't make the mistake of thinking that Dartmouth students are "too smart" for addiction.
