Two former Massachusetts Institute of Technology students who teamed with classmates and took Las Vegas casinos for millions in the late 1990s by counting cards at blackjack tables said the practice is still going on across North America. But Mike Aponte and Dave Irvine were quick to tell an audience Wednesday at the Global Gaming Expo they are no longer active participants.

Students will learn about gambling addiction as part of a new A-level course. The move, by one of the country's biggest exam boards, is being billed as an attempt to train a new generation of psychologists to deal with the UK's growing addiction to betting, fruit machines and gaming tables. The course will focus on the origins and influence of the gambling industry, why people sink into addiction and possible cures.