Gambling and SPORTS

According to Central Michigan University faculty member Tim Otteman (authority in sports administration and management, sports sociology, and sports gambling) “Sports gambling has come to replace Baseball as America’s pastime. From buying Super Bowl squares to filling out NCAA tournament brackets to betting on the Internet to gambling directly with a bookmaker, sports gambling is one of the most popular sports participation activities in the U.S. The NCAA estimates that one in 10 Americans will complete a bracket for the NCAA tournament.” (News Release, Central Michigan University)

Completing a tournament bracket for as little as $5 seems to be a harmless enough activity, yet it potentially starts a downward spiral into gambling addiction. No one becomes addicted to alcohol or other drugs before they had their first drink or smoked their first joint. Similarly, no one becomes addicted to gambling on sports before they make their first bet. Many times the first bet is filling out a bracket for the NCAA tournament.

There is a tremendous amount of information available about sporting events via the Internet. Combine that with the popularity of college athletics, the competitive spirit of athletic games and the down time a college student yearns to enjoy, and you have the perfect recipe for becoming involved in sports gambling. It is estimated that people under the age of 25 are up to three times more likely to become problem gamblers. For students, the longer the gambling activity lasts the more powerful it makes them feel. They appear to get a high from it or it helps them to escape.

Sports gamblers bet about 13 days a month and spend anywhere from $500 to over $4,000, according to a recent study by addiction researcher Nancy Petry, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut Health Center. During Super Bowl season, Petry found that the wager amounts can double or triple and the result can be financial problems ranging from debt to bankruptcy. Sports gamblers are also known to bet problematically for several years before seeking help (News Release, UCONN Health Center, 1/26/04). Whether you realize it or not it or not there is gambling going on in sports everyday.

Sports’ gambling is promoted as the friendly way to test your sports knowledge. It is shown constantly on television. One of the most popular series on all of television is “The World Series of Poker”, which airs on ESPN. In the last five years T.V. has turned poker into a phenomenon. This event is aired over several weeks and is played for a top prize of 12 million dollars.

After two months of research into sports gambling, Sports Illustrated found it impossible to visit a college campus and not find sophisticated on or off campus book making operations with a large student clientele that included athletes. Gambling in the student population, high school and college, is often linked to missing classes, dropping out of school, drug abuse, engaging in criminal activities.

In a 1999 survey of 640 collegiate officials, 40 percent indicated that they placed a bet on a sporting event, and more than 20 percent indicated they had bet on the NCAA basketball tournament. Fourteen referees acknowledged betting on sports with a bookie. Nationwide, illegal sports’ betting is estimated to be $80 to $100 billion a year. A 2004 survey found problem or pathological gambling in 8% of young adults 18-24,traditional college age range (“ Gambling Addiction and Compulsion,” Counseling Center, St. John’s University, Philadelphia, PA, 2003).