HOUSTON – Gambling is often called "the hidden addiction." Whether it's on a laptop or at a casino, the access to gambling is there, and that easy access is addicting a much younger generation.
"I lost my marriage, I lost my job, I lost my car," said Alan Abrams, a former compulsive gambler. "I didn't have a place to live.
Abrams said he was a compulsive gambler for most of his life.
"I needed to have action all the time and had a hard time focusing on normal life," Abrams said. "Gambling turned to be more important to me than anything else."
Abrams' favorite forms of gambling were blackjack and sports betting.
Betting on sports typically starts in college.
"I know people who do it all the time," said Colin Womack, a UCF student. "They might be with a friend and say, 'hey, you want to bet on this game? Who do you think is going to win?' Yeah, all the time. They definitely like to bet on the football game a little bit."
"With the college population, you've got kids who are at a time in lives who are all of the sudden becoming an adult and they have access to credit they never had before," said Jennifer Kruse, deputy director of the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling. "They've got independence and freedom and they're exploring things."
According to a 2008 study, one in five college students is at risk or already has developed a problem with gambling. With the increase of online options for gambling with sites like DraftKings, gambling problems might only get worse.
"Forty-four percent of callers stated they started gambling before the age of 25," Kruse said.
"I see a lot of my friends making money on DraftKings and FanDuel," Womack said. "I see them making $300 on a regular basis, sometimes more than that."
I've done DraftKings before. The money is there if you pick the right team, then you can win a lot of money," said UCF graduate Nick Johansen. "So I can see why people like to do it."
Kruse said the big problem is there aren't any telltale signs of a gambling problem.
"You can't look at someone and say, 'they have dice eyes,' or, 'they have roulette breath,' or card marks on their arms," Kruse said. "There's no signs. It can go from many, many months, many years undetected."
Abrams said he was able to hide his problem from a lot of people.
"It's like living two lives," Abrams said. "For me, it certainly was a Jekyll and Hyde lifestyle."
Abrams said he hit rock bottom and finally got some help. He is one of the lucky former gamblers. One in five compulsive gamblers will attempt suicide.
Seniors are also a growing population seeing more problem compulsive gamblers. If you think you might be a compulsive gambler, you can get help at the hotline number: 888-ADMIT-IT.