Study Finds North Carolina Student-Athletes Bet on Sports at Higher Rates Than Non-Athletes

Nov 11, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Omarion Hampton (28) with wide receiver Devontez Walker (9) after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY SportsPreliminary data from new study of students across 12 UNC campuses shows 13% gamble at least monthlySurvey of 2,200 students at 12 UNC campuses shows at least 25% of male students are gambling monthly and 16.5% of student-athletes have placed a sports bet in the last yearThere is a lack of counseling and resources to deal with gambling disorders among students

Preliminary data from a new study of students at certain North Carolina campuses shows an existing high prevalence of gambling and sports betting among male students and student-athletes as the state moves closer to its online sports betting launch next month.

Michelle L. Malkin, JD, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at East Carolina University (ECU), Director of Gambling Research Initiative Policy, shared data from her ongoing baseline study of 2,200 students across 12 UNC campuses assessing gambling behavior, awareness, and risk among UNC undergraduate students.

“What we have been able to find here in North Carolina, prior to the actual expansion into legalized sports betting, is that we already have a large number of college students, 58% of those we polled, who have gambled in the last year.” With operators such as DraftKings North Carolina and FanDuel North Carolina, March Madness fans will have some top betting apps to choose from.

Student-Athletes Already Gambling in North Carolina

Malkin is the director of the Gambling Research and Policy Initiative (GRPI) at ECU, founded this past November to assist in understanding gambling trends in North Carolina and throughout the country.

Malkin and Michele L. Stacey, PhD, an associate professor of criminal justice and criminology at ECU, designed this study to evaluate the baseline number of UNC students who are engaged in gambling and sports betting prior to the March 11 North Carolina online sports betting launch. The study was funded by the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

So far, preliminary study data of the 2,200 surveyed students shows that at least 58% have engaged in gambling for money sometime over the past year. This includes going to a casino, sports betting, iGaming, gambling for real money within video games, trading of crypto currency, and 13 other various forms of gambling.

The study found that over 70% of male students have engaged in gambling over the last year, compared with 56% of females. At least 25% of male students in the state gamble monthly as well.

As for sports betting, the research shows that student-athletes in the state are significantly more likely to have bet on sports in the last year than other students. The data shows 16.5% of student-athletes have bet on sports compared with just 8.8% of non-athletes. Male student-athletes participate in sports betting more than female student-athletes, at a rate of 16.9% compared with just 6.6%.

Overall, 10% of all surveyed students have bet on sports in the last year, Malkin said.

“I want to be very clear that not all students are gambling, not all student-athletes are gambling, but we know that there is some level of gambling occurring among our students and student-athletes, especially around individuals who are assigned male at birth,” she said.

Additional Counseling, Resources Needed on Campus

Perhaps the most alarming piece of research Malkin shared is the high rate of male students who are susceptible to developing a gambling disorder.

Prior prevalence studies show that 5.5% of the overall population is at risk for developing a gambling disorder. However, among the students surveyed for this study it was found that 12.8% of male college students at UNC campuses are currently at risk for developing a gambling disorder, compared to just 1.6% of female students. Gambling disorder risk was not significantly influenced on age or student-athlete status.

“It’s good that we’re going to legalize and regulate gambling in the state, but with it comes the responsibility of additional resources, outreach, education, and research funding to help those who are either at risk or have a gambling disorder get the help they need. We also need to educate and have outreach programs for students before they develop disorders to help them understand the risks involved and how to identify if they start to struggle or suffer from gambling-related harms.”

This is where North Carolina needs to support its students better, Malkin said. More than 97% of the surveyed students do not know if there’s a gambling policy on campus or have any idea about gambling-related policies when at a university.

Students are inundated with information about alcohol and drugs from the moment they step on campus, Malkin said, but gambling harms are hardly addressed during their college careers.

On-campus counseling centers rarely have counselors dedicated to assisting students who are struggling with gambling regulated harms. There are almost no employees within campus counseling departments and guidance centers being trained in how to identify and help students with gambling disorders.

North Carolina counseling departments should immediately include the “Brief Bio-Social Gambling Screen” tool into their initial student screenings to help professionals determine if a student is at risk of problem gaming and needs a more comprehensive screen.

“We really need additional attention to educating those who might come in contact with individuals who have gambling problems. We need additional resources for counselors to learn how to properly screen individuals so they can provide treatment before severe things happen. Gambling has highest suicide rate of all addiction. One in five who are addicts will attempt suicide at some point. There are a lot of individuals we lose to gambling, and so we need the resources to counter that, to help individuals work through their addiction,” she said.

North Carolina at Potential Risk for Sports Betting Scandal

The study shows that a portion of student-athletes are betting while on UNC campuses, so could the state be susceptible to a sports betting controversy or scandal involving its athletes? Malkin said it’s a possibility in any jurisdiction where students and student-athletes are betting on games.

It’s happening on campus, Malkin said, and student-athletes need to be aware of the NCAA regulations on sports betting and how it could affect their collegiate careers.

The NCAA reevaluated its guidelines for student-athletes who are found betting on games. If a student-athlete is found to be betting on their own sports at another school, education on sports wagering rules and prevention will be required and a loss of 50% of one season of eligibility will be considered as a condition of reinstatement.

Athletes who engage in activities to influence the outcomes of their own games or “knowingly provide information to individuals involved in sports betting activities” will potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports, according to the new guidelines.

“What we need to do is continue to educate student-athletes and anyone who is part of the teams, from athletic trainers to coaches, as to what the regulations are, what is and is what is not allowed, so people can make informed decisions on their behaviors,” Malkin said.