Betting on Awareness: Exploring Online Gambling Trends Among College Students

The advancement of internet gambling has had a profound effect on students’ betting habits. According to the data supplied by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) in the US, about 67% of all students on college campuses bet on sports, primarily via online sports betting sites. 

A similar study based on the 2018 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), Gambling Rapid Response, concluded that 64.5% of Canadians aged 15 or more reported gambling at least once during the past year. Considering the recent legalization of online gambling in Ontario and the fact that the minimum gambling age in the province is set at 19, the number of college students engaging in online gambling is bound to have increased dramatically during the past year. 

The connection between anonymity, convenience, and non-stop availability of online gambling can be directly linked to the rise of problem gambling among the student population and, as such, is the focal point of this article. 

Online Gambling Trends Among Students — Research Studies

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) commissioned Opinion Diagnostics, a market research, data analytics, and polling company, to conduct a Sports Betting Activities Survey in April 2023 in order to keep track of the impact sports betting has on college students, especially student-athletes. 

Among 3,527 respondents aged between 18 and 22, 58% of them have participated in at least one sports betting activity. About 27.5% of them have placed a bet using a mobile app or a website. Another 12.2% of respondents have done so on an offshore online betting site, sparking significant concern about their safety and the fairness they might expect there. 

As for the betting amounts, close to 80% of all sports wagers were in the range between $1 and $50, which is borderline risky, considering that betting more than $50 in a single wager or losing more than $500 on sports in a day would constitute problem behaviour. 

The study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Canada shows that  42.6% of Canadian college students gamble, which is consistent with the data coming from the NCAA. 

Although gambling activities can be innocuous for most students, there is a minority of students who easily fall under the category of heavy gamblers faced with adverse consequences of their actions. 

In the 2012 exploratory study Internet Gambling and Risk-taking Among Students published by the International Centre for Youth Gambling Studies and High-Risk Behaviors of McGill University from Montreal, Canada, 3.7% of respondents aged 18-20 were classified as problem gamblers based on the DSM-IV criteria for problem gambling. The study also found that risk-taking motivation is much greater in those students who gamble online than those who do it in land-based facilities. 

A meta-analytic synthesis by Donald E. Nowak and Ariel M. Aloe published in the Journal of Gambling Studies has gathered data from 18 studies conducted between 2005 and 2013. The random effects model for meta-analysis of data has been applied to the synthesis of different publications to draw meaningful conclusions. Namely, the derived results demonstrated that 10.23 % of 13,000 college students are probable pathological gamblers.   

Student-Athletes — The Vulnerable Group

The comparison of 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 NCAA survey data with the 2023 NCAA survey shed more light on the correlation between gambling and student-athletes. College athletes are in medias res of sports, which is intricately connected to wagering. In the recent NCPG report, we see that 30% of male athletes bet on sports. Surprisingly, 26% of them began prior to high school, and 66% began once they reached high school.  

The findings from the comparison revealed that men consistently participate in gambling activities at higher rates than women, although the gap has narrowed. In 2016, 55% of men participated in gambling compared to 38% of women. However, in 2023, 51% of women engaged in sports betting. 

Additionally, the overall attitude of student-athletes towards gambling seems to become less favourable. In 2016, more students considered gambling unacceptable despite the growing number of opportunities to gamble. The NCAA plans to commission a special student-athlete-only survey in the coming months for a more detailed representation of the impact internet gambling has on the group.  

Indicators of Disordered Gambling Behavior

In its fact sheet, NCPG also reveals that  6% of college students in the U.S. face a severe gambling problem. Therefore, it’s vital to recognize gambling addiction symptoms and address them accordingly. 

Personality changes, such as regular mood swings, restlessness, withdrawal, and alienation from family and friends, are some of the first signs that someone might be struggling with addiction. Lying about the frequency of one’s gambling habits, constant borrowing of money, each time a larger amount, inability to restrain the gambling urges, and thoughts about committing a crime in order to fund gambling are major red flags that an individual is suffering from gambling addiction. 

Risk Factors of Problem Gambling in University Students

In general, college years are associated with illicit and risky behaviour, including drinking, drug use, unsafe sexual intercourse, and gambling.  

The latter is greatly exacerbated by technological advancements, bringing online gambling to every mobile device via the internet. States and provinces across the U.S. and Canada are legalizing online gambling like never before, which makes it all the more accessible to college students. 

Nonetheless, advertisements exert the greatest influence on the betting activities of college students. Around 63% of students in the NCAA report confirmed seeing betting ads across the campus. Moreover, 58% of those students reported that they were more likely to place a bet as a result of seeing an ad. 

Schools seem to do little to hamper the growth of problem gambling. Colleges, such as Louisiana State University, The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Michigan State University and the University of Maryland, are all inking deals with betting companies to promote their brands on radio broadcasts, stadiums, and websites, raising concerns from gambling addiction experts. 

Furthermore, college students are getting more access to cash now more than ever. They receive an average of 25 credit card solicitations from banks and credit institutions per single semester, which, in turn, are funds that can be used for gambling. 

Final Thoughts

The surge in online gambling, powered by technological growth, has seen a significant uptick in college student participation. 

National data indicates that around 67% of U.S. students and 42.6% of Canadian students engage in gambling, with many gravitating towards online platforms. While the majority gamble within limits, a worrisome fraction displays signs of problematic gambling. 

The situation is intensified by pervasive advertising, easy credit access, and collaborations between universities and betting entities. Institutions must prioritize more robust preventive measures and raise awareness to combat this rising issue.