College students are at high risk of developing gambling problems by sports betting advertising and campus counseling needs to be prioritized to minimize the danger, according to a new study.
Zhen Zhu, chair and professor of marketing at Suffolk University in Boston, released his department’s findings from a two-year study at the International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking in Las Vegas. It was part of a grant funded by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.
Youth gambling was a major focus at the conference, reflecting the attention the subject is gaining nationwide.
Zhu said it’s no surprise that younger men are heavily involved in sports betting and are rushing to traditional sports books and gambling on prediction market apps that offer wagers to those as young as 18 compared to state-regulated sports books that cater only to 21 and older.
Zhu said researchers aren’t trying to paint sports betting as evil, but as entertainment. The problem is that it carries strong risks for young gamblers who can spiral down a bad path and that protections are needed. Advertising is enticing young gamblers with offers such as free wagers and Zhu suggested more regulation is needed, along with education and counseling.
Stories abound about sports betting among college students draining them of money they can’t afford to lose and ruining their lives in some cases, Zhu said. In Massachusetts, there are about 500,000 college students.
“We see young adults facing high risk of being targeted by advertising, because they’re fans of their teams, a loyal member of their college, or involved in fantasy sports,” Zhu said. “Fantasy games can easily be passed on to sports betting and easily be targeted by sports betting operators.”
Research shows that even a brief conversation with these students about prevention can change their trajectory and help them get back to normal, Zhu said. The problem is that most college counselors don’t have sports betting among their service items and aren’t familiar with how to guide the counseling.
We need to have the pulse on the potential harm financially, mentally, and academically on the students’ lives and to provide tools for the toolbox,” Zhu said.
Zhu said not only are the students targeted by traditional advertising on radio and television, but via emails and text messages. In addition, sports programs on radio and television talk about sports betting as part of sponsored messages.
“ESPN commentators are always talking about different odds and operators,” Zhu said. “It has blurred the lines between content and advertising and all of it has a significant impact on the younger generation.”
Advertising has the biggest impact when targeting new players and the youngest players compared to more mature ones, Zhu said.
The study was conducted by student researchers from across Massachusetts and one finding was that many of the young gamblers think of sports betting as an investment and a way to make easy money. “That can be very dangerous.”
It starts early in college. A lot of freshmen attend games and bet together and Zhu said it’s a daily conversation starter. “The campus culture drives you into it. And once you open an account, the companies are so good at targeting [based on the bets].”
The student researchers suggested introducing sports betting risks in financial-literacy classes. In addition, sports operators should remove financial incentives from refer friends to the wagering site, which creates more vulnerable students. “It’s very common and they shouldn’t be doing that,” Zhu said.
Mahsa Pashaeimeykola, a PhD student in public health at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, talked about her study, “Exploring factors influencing cessation of gambling behavior using the Theory of Planned Behavior among college students,” on gambling as a public-health issue among young adults. Some 20 million U.S. adults report problematic gambling ,while college students are particularly vulnerable, with as many as 14% meeting the criteria for problem gambling. That also correlates with problems with alcohol and drug use, she said. In their survey of students, some 40% could be categorized as moderate risk for problem gambling.
“That’s concerning from a public-health perspective,” Pashaeimeykola said. “Intervention should target personal beliefs and social influences. Psychological factors are more important than demographics in explaining gambling behavior.”
