Predatory gambling occurs when corporate gambling interests, sometimes coupled with government, exploit citizens and their communities. Universities are communities, and students are their primary citizens. Universities and the people that populate them recognize the deleterious impact of predatory gambling on academic excellence. Gambling creates corporate profits one person at a time while generating horrendous impacts on individuals and families. “The house”—that is, the corporation—always wins. This is true in brick-and-mortar casinos and equally true in the hundreds of international enterprises that support online gambling.
In response to these challenges, West Texas A&M University will not allow access for any student, faculty or staff member to online gambling sites utilizing state resources, including university-supported Internet.
According to The Conversation, 6% of college students have gambling addiction problems. That’s twice the percentage of U.S. adults addicted to gambling. The term of choice in the gambling industry is “gaming.” Gaming is playing checkers or Parcheesi. Betting money on a horse race, college football outcomes, a particular quarterback in professional or college football, or innumerable other potentials, including the weather, is not a game. It is predatory gambling because the house always wins.
The reasons for pronounced problems among college students are many. Most college students live away from home for the first time and may not have much experience managing their finances. This inexperience can make them susceptible to the allure of quick wins through gambling. And there is the excitement of risk-taking behaviors that plague many human beings at every age level but are especially seductive to young men. A Connecticut State University study published in the Journal of American College Health reveals that predatory gambling is high among college students and frequently coupled with alcohol and drug abuse.
With the rise of online gambling and sports betting apps, access to gambling has never been easier. This accessibility can encourage more pervasive gambling habits among students. College students who engage in problem gambling frequently incur significant debt. A study by Intelligent reported that over 20% of all college students with gambling issues often use student loans, credit cards and even personal loans to fund their habits. Some even steal to sustain their addiction, and the same study reveals that 60% of college gamblers do so illegally. In too many cases, universities either wittingly or unwittingly promote gambling. The study goes on one debilitating finding after another.
College environments can create a culture of gambling, especially related to student-athletes. Peer pressure plays a significant role in encouraging gambling behavior and is especially prevalent among male intercollegiate athletes, according to a major national study that included the National Collegiate Athletics Association.
Students often face significant financial pressures, including paying for tuition, books and living expenses, among other factors. The prospect of so-called “easy” money through gambling can seem like an attractive solution despite the high risks involved. Such engagement leads to a decline in academic performance, according to a study published by the National Library of Medicine. Problem gamblers among college students are more likely to skip classes, neglect academic responsibilities and fail exams. Beyond my personal empathy toward those struggling with any kind of addiction, as the president of West Texas A&M University, I also have a professional interest in eliminating any barrier to academic excellence.
The stress and mental health challenges that are common among college students can make gambling more appealing as a temporary escape, according to the American Psychological Association. The stressors may take many forms, but accumulating additional debt, the use of credit cards or personal loans to pay for bets, and, at times, theft and other forms of illegal activity can fund the habits of problem gamblers. Stress and anxiety, substance abuse, social isolation and even suicide risk are all manifestations of addicted gamblers.
Oliver Staley says in Time that the ease of online sports betting creates additional challenges. Targeted advertising, free-to-play models, bonuses and other predatory practices focus on what will be a guaranteed win for the house and, most frequently, a loss for the individual. The increasing legalization of such practices in the United States is particularly vexing. Sports gambling is often seen as a skill-based activity. Identifying a team and its members as effective and potentially “winners” appears to be an intelligent, reason-based investment. Such activity can even seem to be scholarly. In addition, sports betting can be perceived as a way to support a favorite team.
The impacts of predatory gambling are real. College students at a particularly formative stage in their lives can develop habits and lifestyles that are akin to drug and substance abuse. There is not a single thread of evidence showing predatory gambling has a positive impact on academic excellence. And redefining excellence is our first job.
Walter V. Wendler, President of West Texas A&M University. His weekly columns, with hyperlinks, are available at https://walterwendler.com/.