College Students and Sports Betting: What Campuses Can Do to Help
Published: June 8, 2026
College students are in a unique position. Many consider themselves adults, but with brains still developing, they can become more susceptible to the underlying risks associated with certain activities — especially gambling, sports betting, prediction markets, and online gaming.
The Ohio State University’s student-led newspaper, The Lantern, recently released an article that articulates the situation many college students find themselves in with sports betting. Abdulla Mahmood, a prevention specialist from the Columbus-gambling program at Maryhaven, explains that calls to their helpline have more than doubled less than a year after sports betting was legalized in Ohio and Ohio State students represent a prime demographic for sports betting.
Nicholas Peters, a third-year communications major, shares how uncomfortable it was to watch the OSU vs. Indiana football game knowing his friends could lose hundreds of dollars if OSU lost — which they did. This is one example of how gambling can become a repetitive cycle of highs and lows with younger minds. “they all swore to not bet again,” Peters shared, “then we played [Indiana] in the Big Ten Championship. So, they bet again, it always will bring you back” (The Lantern).
Why college students?
Mahmood describes this as a “telescoping effect” — referring to how younger ages are more likely to develop a gambling disorder when they start placing bets than older age groups. Other researchers like Donald Nowak and Ariel Aloe from the University of Buffalo share it’s “the Five A’s” that make college students more prone to gambling disorders: “The availability of betting opportunities, social acceptability of gambling, exposure to widespread advertising, access to spending money, and being at an age when young people experiment with risky behavior” (TIME).
How can you help?
With the fall semester starting in a few months, now is a great time for staff and faculty at universities to address ways they can support their students.
- Recognize the warning signs: abnormal drops in grades, missing assignments, and excessive phone usage during instruction are a few ways a gambling disorder can appear in a classroom setting.
- Offer support: many individuals experiencing a gambling disorder do not seek help. If a student demonstrates multiple warning signs, consider having a conversation to gauge their situation and guide them to local or university mental health resources.
- Accommodate their needs: students undergoing recovery for a gambling disorder may benefit from temporary extensions or leave of absences to improve treatment retention.
- Spread awareness and prevention: Pause Before You Play partners with organizations and colleges to spread low-risk gambling awareness and prevention of gambling-related harms. Explore the College Student Toolkit for examples of customizable resources that colleges can utilize on campuses and in classrooms.
Visit our website for more responsible gambling information, tips, support, and a two-minute quiz to gauge a person’s risk level for a gambling disorder.
If you or someone you know is impacted by gambling and sports betting, don’t hesitate to call the free and confidential Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966 or text 988. Trained and understanding specialists are ready to take your call 24/7. And now, the Ohio Gambling Telehealth Network offers virtual telehealth services at no cost.