THE NCAA has released survey results that show many young adults are wagering on sports, often despite age or geographic restrictions on legal sports betting. NCAA President Charlie Baker commissioned the survey weeks after taking over to establish a new baseline of sports betting activity, given the proliferation of online betting platforms and advertising consumed by young people.
“We needed a new baseline so we can better understand what student-athletes are experiencing on their campuses and among their peers so we can best help them deal with the potentially disruptive dynamic of legal sports betting,” Baker said. “Sports betting has increased interest in sports of all kinds, including college sports, which is great for our fans, but the NCAA and everyone from coaches to athletics department staff and college presidents must better understand what impact sports betting may have on student-athletes.”
The survey queried 3,527 18- to 22-year-olds to better understand the prevalence of various sports wagering behaviors, as well as how attitudes toward wagering are being impacted by external forces, such as advertising. Opinion Diagnostics conducted the survey by using a national online panel that mirrored the total population of that age group and included both college students and young adults not attending college. Current or former NCAA athletes may have been in the pool of respondents but not in sufficient numbers to examine their data separately. The NCAA will conduct a student-athlete-only survey in the coming months.
Overall, the present survey found that sports wagering is pervasive among 18- to 22-year-olds, with 58% having engaged in at least one sports betting activity.
Sports wagering activity is widespread on college campuses — 67% of students living on campus are bettors and tend to bet at a higher frequency. 41% of college students who bet on sports have placed a bet on their school’s teams and 35% have used a student bookmaker.
Advertisements have a major influence on betting activity: 63% of on-campus students recall seeing betting ads. This is a higher rate than that found in the general population or those that commute/virtually attend college, and 58% of those students indicate they are more likely to bet after seeing the ads.
Problem gambling shows up in this population, with 16% having engaged in at least one risky behavior and 6% reporting that they have previously lost more than $500 on sports betting in a single day. 70% of these risky gamblers believe consistent sports gambling will increase their monetary earnings.
