In this episode of FutureU, Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo speak with NCAA officials Clint Hangebrauck and Mark Hicks about the rise of sports betting on college campuses. Roughly 60 percent of 18- to 22-year-olds now participate in sports betting, raising concerns among higher education leaders about student well-being, mental health, and gambling addiction. Student-athletes have been especially affected, with many facing harassment from angry bettors after losses. The NCAA is actively monitoring the issue and working with social media companies and payment platforms to address it.
“There’s also some data out there that suggests college-age individuals are three times more likely to engage in problematic gambling behaviors. So things where you’re regularly engaging in betting, you might be losing, you know, $500 or more in a given day,” Hangebrauck stated. “I hate to be too alarmist with this, but I do think this could be the next big public health crisis that we’re facing as a country, and particularly within higher ed. So I hope it’s a topic that college presidents are really focused on.”