America’s next epidemic.
More than 10% of college students are pathological gamblers.
That's 5x the national average, by some estimates.
Universities are looking the other way, with almost none offering counseling services for gambling addiction.
At current enrollment rates, that’s ~1.5 million students.
Balodis, I. & Querney, D. (2019). Retrieved from www.brainconnections.ca.
The financial impact is no joke.
For every $1 spent on betting, households put $2 less into investment accounts, and evidence shows increases in the risk of overdrafting a bank account or maxing out a credit card.
— Scott Baker and colleagues at Northwestern University
Sports betting legalization increases the risk that a household goes bankrupt by 25 to 30 percent, and increases debt delinquency.
— Scott Baker and colleagues at Northwestern University
Nearly 60% of college students have bet on sports, and 4% do so daily. Almost 6% reported losing more than $500 in a single day.
— National College Athletic Association
Almost a third (30%) of sports bettors say they have debts they attribute to gambling. Of those with debts related to sports betting, more than half (51%) are facing debts of $500 or more.
— U.S. News
The consequences are not just financial.
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96% of individuals with gambling disorders have one or more co-occurring psychiatric conditions.
Potenza, Badolis, Derevensky, Grant, Petry, Verdejo-Garcia, Yip: “Gambling Disorder”
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Frequency of sports betting corresponds to alcohol use and alcohol-related problems.
Joshua B. Grubbs, Alexander J. Connolly, Scott Graupensperger: “Sports Gambling and Drinking Behaviors Over Time”
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Legal sports betting leads to a roughly nine percent increase in intimate-partner violence.
Kyutaro Matsuzawa, Emily Arnesen: “Sports Betting Legalization Amplifies Emotional Cues & Intimate Partner Violence”
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One in five problem gamblers think about suicide - five times the average among non-gamblers.
GambleAware, UK Gambling Commission Study
Gambling in the modern age.
Sports betting is being marketed to young Americans as an investment.
Only 50% of 18- to 24-year-olds consider betting on sports outcomes to constitute gambling.
National Council on Problem Gambling’s 2021 NGAGE survey
Social media has perpetuated the idea that betting on sports is a profitable venture, leading to the normalization of unsafe and risky behavior. The legalization of prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket have only reinforced that messaging.
“At its core, gambling and sports betting is supposed to make your life better. It’s supposed to give you some entertainment, even if it costs you money. Sometimes people forget that, and they think of gambling as a reliable way of making money. They think of it as a job. They think of it as a can’t-lose-investment. It’s none of those things. So, think about the language we use with gambling. We say, “I lost $50 gambling.” We don’t say “I spent $50 gambling.” It’s a very subtle distinction. We don’t say “I lost $50 going to dinner,” we say “I spent $50 at dinner.” People tend to create something that is not, and set themselves up for disappointment or frustration. That’s what we’re trying to change - how people can stay in the lane of gambling that’s not problematic by viewing what the expectation of gambling really is.”
Dr. Tim Fong, Co-director of UCLA’s Gambling Studies Program and Bettor Off Advisory Board Member
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While sports betting addiction among college aged adults has yet to be extensively studied, early estimates suggest that 58% of adults have participated in more than 1 sports‑betting activity.
Of these, 16% engaged in more than 1 “risky” behavior (betting a few times/week or daily.
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Gambling addiction is proven to lead to more volatile behavior, both within social circles and personal/romantic relationships. Student athletes commonly face abuse from bettors; according U.S. News, 21% of sports bettors say they've verbally abused an athlete, either in person or online, after losing money on a bet.
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The Foundation has developed a proprietary network of academics, clinicians, advisors, and most importantly students to improve awareness and access to gambling addiction support resources.
By leveraging the Foundation’s resources, students are able to bring the support that they need to their own campus.
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