12/12/2023

Sports Betting is Driving a Gambling Addiction Among College Students

Much of the problem relates to sports betting apps

When Evan Ozmat, a Ph.D. student in psychology at the University of Albany, first began counseling undergraduates about HIV and substance abuse, he expected to hear about their health issues. Instead, he heard about problem gambling.

"Since the beginning of the project three years ago, students have brought up, unprompted, gambling," Ozmat said. "We started asking about it in every appointment and everyone has something to say. It's everywhere."

The majority of the gambling occurs on mobile phones, Ozmat said, largely, although not exclusively, on sports betting apps. Served up to students through ubiquitous ads that offer promises of "free" bets and easy wins, the apps sink their hooks deep into students, leading them to spend their financial aid money, lie to their parents and ignore their studies so they can keep playing, he said. Students from low-income families are particularly vulnerable, as they lack the financial safety net to recover from losses.

Please select this link to read the complete article from TIME.