In the past 18 months, gambling by college student athletes has become one of the greatest concerns among athletic administrators and coaches nationally. A string of gambling incidents in the sports of football and basketball has included student athletes from such leading educational institutions as Arizona State University, Boston College, University of Colorado, Columbia University, Fresno State University, Northwestern University, and the University of Notre Dame. In order to understand the issue of student athlete gambling in more than an anecdotal way, this study was developed to learn the extent and nature of student athlete gambling.
Data for this research were collected from a paper and pencil survey that was mailed to 3000 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I student athletes (1500 football, 750 men's basketball, 750 women's basketball) nationwide. The response rate for the study was 25.3% (n=758).
Some of the most notable findings documented by this study include:
1) Most student athletes gamble.
Our research indicates that 72% of student athletes have gambled in some way since entering college. This number is even higher among male student athletes with 80% gambling in some manner while attending college.
2) Casino gambling is a popular activity among student athletes with 48.2% of all student athletes wagering at a casino.
3) Many student athletes gamble on sports.
Among all student athletes, nearly 35% have gambled on sports while attending college. Among male student athletes, over 45% gambled on sports.
4) A considerable number of student athletes acted in ways that call into question the integrity of their contests or put them in contact with individuals who may try to affect the outcome of their games.
Over 5% of male student athletes provided inside information for gambling purposes, bet on a game in which they participated, or accepted money for performing poorly in a game.
5) Student athletes who gamble with bookmakers are wagering substantial amounts of money.
The mean amount of money wagered on a single sports bet through a bookmaker was $57.25. Furthermore, the student athletes who gambled on sports with bookmakers were wagering an average of $225 each month.