{"id":1039,"date":"2023-03-11T17:47:45","date_gmt":"2023-03-11T23:47:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ticketstream.streamapse.com\/?p=1039"},"modified":"2023-03-11T17:47:45","modified_gmt":"2023-03-11T23:47:45","slug":"growth-in-legalized-sports-betting-may-pose-a-threat-to-college-athletes-as-march-madness-looms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/TicketStream\/?p=1039","title":{"rendered":"Growth In Legalized Sports Betting May Pose A Threat To College Athletes As March Madness Looms"},"content":{"rendered":"

As March Madness looms, growth in legalized sports betting may pose a threat to college athletes.<\/p>\n

When March Madness<\/a> begins on March 14, 2023<\/a>, it\u2019s a sure bet that millions of Americans will be making wagers on the annual college basketball tournament.<\/p>\n

The American Gaming Association estimates that in 2022, 45 million people – or more than 17% of American adults \u2013 planned to wager US$3.1 billion<\/a> on the NCAA tournament. That makes it one of the nation\u2019s most popular sports betting events, alongside contests such as the Kentucky Derby and the Super Bowl<\/a>. By at least one estimate, March Madness is the most popular betting target of all<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While people have been betting on March Madness for years<\/a>, one difference now is that betting on college sports is legal in many states. This is largely due to a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way<\/a> for each state to decide whether to permit people to gamble on sporting events. Prior to the ruling, legal sports betting was only allowed in Nevada.<\/p>\n

Since the ruling, sports betting has grown dramatically. Currently, 36 states allow<\/a> some form of legalized sports betting. And now, Georgia, Maine and Kentucky are proposing legislation to make sports betting legal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About two weeks after sports betting became legal in Ohio on Jan. 1, 2023<\/a>, someone, disappointed by an unexpected loss of the University of Dayton men\u2019s basketball team<\/a> to Virginia Commonwealth University, made threats<\/a> and left disparaging messages<\/a> against Dayton athletes and the coaching staff<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Ohio case is by no means isolated. In 2019, a Babson College student who was a \u201cprolific sports gambler<\/a>\u201d was sentenced to 18 months in prison<\/a> for sending death threats to at least 45 professional and collegiate athletes in 2017.<\/p>\n

Faculty members of Miami University\u2019s Institute for Responsible Gaming, Lottery, and Sports<\/a> are concerned that the increasing prevalence of sports betting could potentially lead to more such incidents, putting more athletes in danger of threats from disgruntled gamblers who blame them for their gambling losses.<\/p>\n

The anticipated growth in sports gambling is quite sizable. Analysts estimate the market in the U.S. may reach over US$167 billion by 2029<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gambling makes inroads into colleges<\/h2>\n

Concerns over college athletes being targeted by upset gamblers are not new. Players<\/a> and sports organizations<\/a> have expressed worry that expanded gambling could lead to harassment and compromise their safety. Such concerns led the nation\u2019s major sports organizations \u2013 MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL and NCAA \u2013 to sue New Jersey in 2012<\/a> over a plan to initiate legal sports betting in that state. They argued that sports betting would make the public think that games were being thrown. Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled that it was up to states to decide<\/a> if they wanted to permit legal gambling.<\/p>\n

Sports betting has also made inroads into America\u2019s college campuses. Some universities, such as Louisiana State University and Michigan State University, have signed multimillion-dollar deals with casinos or gaming companies<\/a> to promote gambling on campus.<\/p>\n

Athletic conferences are also cashing in on the data related to these games and events. For instance, the Mid-Atlantic Conference signed a lucrative five-year deal<\/a> in 2022 to provide real-time statistical event data to gambling companies, which then leverage the data to create real-time wager opportunities during sporting events.<\/p>\n

As sports betting comes to colleges and universities, it means the schools will inevitably have to deal with some of the negative aspects of gambling<\/a>. This potentially includes more than just gambling addiction. It could also involve the potential for student-athletes and coaches to become targets of threats, intimidation or bribes to influence the outcome of events.<\/p>\n

The risk for addiction on campus is real. According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, over 2 million adults in the U.S. have a \u201cserious\u201d gambling problem<\/a>, and another 4 million to 6 million may have mild to moderate problems. One report estimates that 6% of college students have a serious gambling problem<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What can be done<\/h2>\n

Colleges and universities don\u2019t have to sit idly by as gambling grows.<\/p>\n

Two faculty fellows at Miami University\u2019s Institute for Responsible Gaming, Lottery, and Sport<\/a> \u2013 former Ohio State Senator William Coley and Sharon Custer \u2013 recommend that regulators and policymakers work with colleges and universities to reduce the potential harm from the growth in legal gaming. Specifically, they recommend that each state regulatory authority:<\/p>\n