What kind of impact is regulated is sports betting having on American college students? That’s a subject that’s been hotly debated since legalized sports became the law of the land and was the subject of a recent study by the NCAA.
What the NCAA found is that American college kids (aged 18-22) are embracing sports betting in a big way. In its biggest takeaway, the study found that 50 percent of US college students had placed a bet at least once over the past 12 months. That’s a scary number to consider and will definitely aid efforts to ween American colleges and universities off of their promotional relationships with regulated sports betting operators.
Conducted by Opinion Diagnostics in April, the survey polled 3527 college students.
Not surprisingly, the study found that college campuses are hot beds of wagering. Campus life is definitely a safe space for sports betting with an astound 67 percent of students who live on campus reporting regular betting.
The study’s most alarming data points (and it is jam packed with alarming data points) centered on the betting activities of students identified as African American or Black. Those students were consistently in the high range for categories such as how much money was lost, and wager size.
The study’s authors summed up this alarming trend saying, “There is a concerning thread about Black or African American respondents’ attitudes about sports betting activities. Black or African American respondents are more likely to engage in betting activities, bet at a higher frequency, wager, and lose larger amounts of money, and are more confident in their ability to consistently win money via sports betting activities
“While Black or African American respondents do not recall seeing advertising at a higher rate than other ethnic groups, they report the ads being much more effective at increasing their likelihood of betting on sports.”
While it’s unlikely that any specific action will result from the study, it does make the decision to not partner with a sports betting operator a lot easier for US colleges and universities.