Can US Colleges Really Be Promoting Gambling on Their Campuses?

Gambling laws in the United States have been changing quickly since 2018 when the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 was finally overturned by the US Supreme Court, making it possible for states in the country to pass their own laws on how sports gambling ought to be regulated.

This led to a flurry of new market entries, with more than 30 states currently regulating sports gambling in the United States. The surging interest in sports gambling, especially by young men in their 20s and 30s, has begged the question of whether promoting gambling on college campuses is safe and ethical.

NCAA Objects, But the Market Realities Are Very Different

The first thing to consider in discussing the existence of such partnerships is whether it is legal to wager on college sports under state laws. Some states have shunned the prospect altogether, but as time has passed, integrity concerns have given way to the realization that there is a significant profit to be made.

Sports betting in the Power 5 conferences is currently worth $11 billion each year, and that figure is only likely to rise. Assuming that states have legalized sports betting and allow college wagering, collaborations between these two groups are quite possible and almost too natural.

There have already been successful partnerships between sportsbooks and colleges. For example, in Nevada where sports betting was legal even before PASPA was overturned, the University of Nevada Reno and William Hill partnered up in 2017. Then, most recently there was a similar partnership between PointsBet and the University of Colorado.
Caesars Entertainment has been pushing to bring its experiences, products, and general brand awareness to colleges across the country which has been met with criticism by Senator Richard Blumenthal who has urged the sportsbook to cease such operations.

Blumenthal is not the only person to object, though, as the National Collegiate Athletic Association or NCAA is also wary of such partnerships. In fact, NCAA opposes them, but colleges have found backdoors that allow them to capitalize on sports data, as was the case with the partnership signed between individual states and sports data aggregators.

Is Gambling Really Promoted on Campus?

The short answer is yes. Sportsbooks who enter college campuses do so to raise their profile with young adults who will become the next generation of sports gamblers. Just as with online gaming, not everyone is allowed to gamble.

Individuals under the age of 21 on state campuses cannot participate in any form of gambling. Then again, there are those who are in college and under the legal age which is where some of the objections stem from.

Essentially, brands are raising their profiles. While many of the issues encountered in the past have now been resolved, and under-21s are not targeted through email marketing, they are still able to see others participate in the activity.

Most sportsbooks today argue that the initial issues with mass branding have been overcome and they are not really detrimental to individuals who are under the age of 21, which is a strange argument to posit, but the criticism keeps coming in.

According to LSU journalism professor Robert Mann, the practice is deeply flawed and should not be encouraged. But is it possible to revert the interest in sports betting to a collegiate level? The answer is – not really. College students are interested in sports and sports betting, and they are bound to remain so.

What Can Be Done If Sports Betting on College Level Is Here to Stay?

Interest in sports betting has occurred out of genuine interest in participating in sports betting contests, which is understandable. This is why one way to address the issue is to acknowledge that it exists and that people in colleges will be interested in sports wagering.

However, there can be some changes to the way this happens in the first place. For one, sportsbooks must be obligated to demonstrate the utmost concern for bettors’ safety, many of whom are still on the cusp of the legal betting age in many of the states where such partnerships exist in the first place.

Even when mitigating practices are introduced, the risk of influencing young men and women and pushing them to gamble on sports due to social pressure is a danger in itself. College sports betting though seems to be firmly embedded in the culture of colleges and is likely to have an even farther reach as the activity goes mainstream and is recognized as a legitimate pastime.