In the four years since New Hampshire legalized sports betting and teamed up with DraftKings, the partnership has contributed $100 million to public education, according to the New Hampshire Lottery. It’s one of several games run by the Lottery that contributes to the Education Trust Fund.

“We are extremely proud of the work we have done to establish New Hampshire as the premier destination for sports betting in the Northeast,” said Charlie McIntyre, executive director of New Hampshire Lottery, in a statement. “We encourage our New Hampshire players to continue placing responsible bets and we are excited for many more years of winning big!”

State revenues across all games, including instant scratch tickets, keno, and historic horse racing, generated an increase of $43 million, or 29.3 percent, last year to the Education Trust Fund, according to Lottery’s .

Sports betting is among the Lottery’s newest games, opening its first retail sports book at The Brook in Seabrook, followed by Filotimo in Manchester and Dover, and the Gate City Casino in Nashua.

In the four years since the launch of sports betting, New Hampshire players have wagered more than $2.71 billion, according to the Lottery.

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Three out of four college students have gambled in the past year, whether legally or illegally, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling.

An have a gambling problem. The portion of college students with a problem, however, is potentially twice that number – .

As an who follows gambling in America, I foresee the potential for gambling on campus to become an even bigger problem. , including on college campuses, since a .

As a faculty fellow at an , I know that colleges can take steps to curtail problem gambling among students. It is all the more urgent given that adolescents in general, including college students, are often , both because of their exposure to video games – which often have hallmarks of gambling behavior – and the , which can lead to using gambling as a .

The spread of legal sports betting

As of November 2023, in some form in 38 states and Washington, D.C. Further, 26 states allow sports betting online. Bills have been introduced – and some recently passed – in more states. These states include , and . Thanks to technology, sports betting is now accessible beyond casinos. Anyone can access it online and on their smartphone.

More than on sports betting between June 2018 and November 2023. Revenue in all U.S. gaming sectors has increased significantly, with sports betting growing the fastest, at . It has generated about to date.

Sports betting is also becoming more accessible on college campuses. A New York Times investigation found that sports betting companies and universities have essentially . That is to say, they’ve made campuses resemble elements of the world famous casinos by introducing online gambling to students.

These profits have driven increased advertising. Some estimate that total advertising through all media channels could . This includes social media platforms like TikTok, where young adults are . A study in the United Kingdom found that have seen gambling ads through social media.

While advertisers reportedly focus on young adults of legal age, research suggests that children under 18 are also being related to gambling. The intensity of advertising activity on social media has raised concerns and brought scrutiny. Earlier this year, for example, prosecutors in the expressed concern that sports betting and other gambling might spread quickly through college campuses as a result of advertising.

Why college students are at greater risk of gambling addiction

Gambling addiction affects people from all backgrounds and across all ages, but it is an even bigger threat to college students. Adolescents of college age are uniquely likely to engage in impulsive or risky behaviors because of a , leaving them more susceptible to take bigger risks and experience adverse consequences.

It’s no secret that drinking alcohol is prevalent on college campuses, and this can increase the likelihood of other . Like other addictive behaviors, gambling can , which makes it more difficult to stop even if someone is building up losses.

What colleges and universities can do to help

If you’re worried a student in your life might have a gambling problem, the Mayo Clinic describes . These include restlessness or irritability when attempting to stop or reduce gambling, gambling more when feeling distressed, and lying to hide gambling or financial losses from it. Gamblers Anonymous provides a to help people identify problems or compulsive gambling.

For more resources, organizations like the offer information and support to help someone with a gambling problem. Immediate help is available at the national problem gambling helpline, . The National Council on Problem Gaming has that can provide more local support and assistance.

At the Miami University Institute for Responsible Gaming, Lottery and Sport, my colleagues and I are working to ensure that the recent dramatic expansion of legalized gaming is matched by effective guidance for policymakers and leaders within higher education. Many institutions, like the , have begun to acknowledge that widespread legalized sports betting and gambling can affect their students. A comprehensive and coordinated approach is required to protect them from harm.

There are resources available to help institutions, such as the “get set before you bet” initiative adopted by the and others. This gives students practical tips to follow if they are going to gamble, such as setting time and money limits before they start.

Colleges and universities could do even more. According to the , institutions can address gambling risks to students by:

• Ensuring there are clear policies on gambling and making sure they align with alcohol policies. provides examples of how institutions can create effective policies and support student wellness, like . Theirs prohibits legal and illegal gambling at any event related to ASU and reinforces that alcohol possession, consumption or inebriation is illegal for all students under 21.
• Promoting awareness of addiction as a mental health disorder and making resources for getting help available to students.
• Ensuring those who work in campus counseling and health services are familiar with gambling addiction and prepared to support students struggling with addiction or problem behavior. Providers should also be aware that multiple addictions can be present, enhancing the challenges to management and recovery.
• Surveying student attitudes toward gambling to track changes in attitudes, behaviors and norms.

With various sports championships, including in baseball, football and college basketball, taking place throughout the academic year, there’s no shortage of occasions for universities to check in with students about sports betting on campus. Gambling addiction is treatable, but preventing it from the start is the best solution.

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When begins on , it’s a sure bet that millions of Americans will be making wagers on the annual college basketball tournament.

The American Gaming Association estimates that in 2022, 45 million people – or more than 17% of American adults – on the NCAA tournament. That makes it one of the nation’s most popular sports betting events, alongside contests such as . By at least one estimate, March Madness is the .

While people have been , 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 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.

Since the ruling, sports betting has grown dramatically. Currently, some form of legalized sports betting. And now, Georgia, Maine and Kentucky are .

About two weeks after sports betting became , someone, disappointed by an unexpected to Virginia Commonwealth University, and against Dayton .

The Ohio case is by no means isolated. In 2019, a Babson College student who was a “” was for sending death threats to at least 45 professional and collegiate athletes in 2017.

Faculty members of 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.

The anticipated growth in sports gambling is quite sizable. Analysts estimate the market in the U.S. may reach .

Gambling makes inroads into colleges

Concerns over college athletes being targeted by upset gamblers are not new. and have expressed worry that expanded gambling could lead to harassment and compromise their safety. Such concerns led the nation’s major sports organizations – MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL and NCAA – to 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 if they wanted to permit legal gambling.

Sports betting has also made inroads into America’s college campuses. Some universities, such as Louisiana State University and Michigan State University, have to promote gambling on campus.

Athletic conferences are also cashing in on the data related to these games and events. For instance, the Mid-Atlantic Conference 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.

As sports betting comes to colleges and universities, it means the schools will inevitably have to deal with some of the . 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.

The risk for addiction on campus is real. According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, over 2 million adults in the U.S. , and another 4 million to 6 million may have mild to moderate problems. One report estimates that .

What can be done

Colleges and universities don’t have to sit idly by as gambling grows.

Two faculty fellows at Miami University’s – former Ohio State Senator William Coley and Sharon Custer – 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:

• Develop plans to coordinate between different governmental agencies to ensure that individuals found guilty of violations are sanctioned in other jurisdictions.
• Dedicate some of the revenue from gaming to develop educational materials and support services for athletes and those around them.
• Create anonymous tip lines to report threats, intimidation or influence, and fund an independent entity to respond to these reports.
• Assess and protect athlete privacy. For instance, schools might decline to publish contact information for student-athletes and coaches in public directories.
• Train athletes and those around them on basic privacy management. For instance, schools might advise athletes to not post on public social media outlets, especially if the post gives away their physical location.

The NCAA or athletic conferences could lead the development of resources, policies and sanctions that serve to educate, protect and support student-athletes and others around them who work at the schools for which they play. This will require significant investment to be comprehensive and effective.

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