Gambling Behavior Among College Student-Athletes

Abstract

Analyzing data from a representative sample of 20,739 U.S. college student-athletes, this study sought to determine whether certain student-athletes were more prone to frequent or problem gambling behavior. Relative to other studies of college students, a lower percentage of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) student-athletes reported gambling (males 62.4%, females 43%) and having gambling problems (males 4.3%, females 0.4%), but a high prevalence of weekly gambling was reported (males 13.0%, females 3.3%). Male student-athletes in high profile sports (e.g., baseball, football) were more likely to report a gambling-related problem compared to their counterparts in other sports (e.g., track & field, volleyball). Sports wagering remains a cause for concern. Only a very small number of student athletes reported major infractions such as attempting to alter the outcome of a game or sharing inside information. Future research should investigate why certain student-athletes are more prone to develop gambling problems.