A bill that would overturn the federal ban on internet gambling has some educators wondering how minors, including students using school computers, would be prevented from logging onto the betting sites from home and during school time.

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., introduced a bill in early May that would require internet gambling providers to be licensed by the Treasury Department and regulated to protect children and ensure the games are fair. The department would review criminal and credit histories as well as financial statements as part of the application process.

Some parents and teachers, however, are worried the bill might allow increasingly tech-savvy children--many of whom have access to their own credit or debit cards--to be sucked into the online betting world.

Opponents of online gambling approved what amounts to a ban in 2006 as part of an unrelated port security bill. Under that legislation, financial institutions were prohibited from accepting payments from credit cards, checks, or electronic fund transfers to settle online wagers.

The Bush administration moved in its final weeks to finish regulations enforcing the prohibition, and those regulations are set to go into effect Dec. 1. Frank also introduced a second bill to delay compliance with the regulations for another year.

At least half of the $16 billion internet gambling industry, which is largely hosted on overseas sites, is estimated to be fueled by U.S. bettors. European online gambling firms were hit hard after the 2006 ban, and Frank's bill is expected to ease tensions between U.S. and European regulators over the issue.

Problem gambling among college students reportedly is more than double that of the general population, with an estimated 3 percent to 4 percent of college student gamblers developing into problem gamblers. College students have easy access to credit cards and online gambling opportunities, with more than 2,000 betting web sites available.

"Most people can gamble responsibly and never develop a problem. For some, gambling develops into a problem for which they have little to no control," says Mary Lay, project manager of the Indiana Problem Gambling Awareness Program, which is part of Indiana University's Indiana Prevention Resource Center.

"Problem gambling can lead to financial devastation, crime, and poor physical and mental health--including an increased risk of substance abuse, depression, and suicide."

Lay said problem gambling among college students is characterized by behaviors that include a drop in grades, inability to stay awake in class from late nights of gambling, and using tuition, scholarship, or book money to pay gambling debts.

A December 2007 study by researchers at the University of Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions found that gambling activity is widespread among U.S. adolescents and young adults ages 14 through 21.