The University of Mississippi recently received approval from the board of trustees to establish the nation's first academic center dedicated to studying gambling issues among college students—the "Center for Gambling Research on College Students." The center will focus on the research, prevention, and treatment of gambling behavior, while also exploring the impact of gambling on the integrity of college sports. This initiative comes at a time when gambling legislation is active in Mississippi, with the state House of Representatives recently passing a second sports betting bill. In plain terms, the gambling problem on campus has become serious enough to necessitate a dedicated institution to manage it. Want to keep up with the latest developments in American college gambling research? Follow the PASA official website.
Alarming: 39% of college students have gambled, 6% are addicted
The establishment of the research center stems from a multi-campus survey covering seven universities in the state. The survey revealed that 39% of the students surveyed had participated in gambling in the past year. Sports betting is the most common form of gambling, with 6% of the students who bet on sports meeting the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic criteria for problem gambling, and many others at moderate risk. The survey also found that gambling is more prevalent among males, Caucasians, those living off-campus, and fraternity/sorority members, with over half (58%) of the student gamblers using online sports betting platforms.
Center's Mission: From card games to prediction markets, filling the research gap
The new center will systematically study the diverse gambling behaviors on campus, ranging from traditional card games to emerging prediction markets, and develop evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies. Additionally, the center will explore how gambling activities affect the integrity of college sports. A social work associate professor at the University of Mississippi emphasized that campus gambling issues are increasingly severe, yet actions are scarce. Attending national gambling conferences made them realize that "more direct efforts are needed in the field of college student gambling."
Complex Ecosystem: Physical casinos, online bans, and prediction markets intertwined
Mississippi has strict regulations for physical casinos, while the legalization of online sports betting is still under legislative debate. Industry observers note that prediction markets and offshore gambling operators provide students with channels to circumvent current mobile platform restrictions. The establishment of this center also echoes recent national policy trends—a bipartisan federal bill aimed at increasing funding for gambling addiction research was just proposed after more than a decade. Want to keep up with the latest developments in American college gambling research? Follow the PASA official website.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel: https://t.me/pasa_news
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