Poker Writer
A national survey conducted by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) found that 1 in 3 people have placed a sports bet before age 21, a staggering number that goes hand-in-hand with the recent normalization of sports betting in college.
The Executive Director of NCPG, Heather Maurer attributed this to the normalization of gambling in other walks of public life:
Youth are at significantly greater risk for developing gambling problems, and as gambling becomes increasingly normalized in media, sports, and online spaces, the risks grow. Prevention and education are essential to ensure young people, families, educators, and policymakers understand the potential harms and are protected from early exposure.
Increased Gambling Ads
The further results of the survey back up Maurer’s assertion. According to the survey, two-thirds of Americans say they are concerned about the impact of underage exposure to gambling.
This can be seen in the sheer number of gambling ads that seem to inundate every sporting event now. From sponsorships on European club kits to on-court betting advertisements to companies like ESPN talking about betting odds during pre-game preview shows, it is everywhere.
That extra exposure to sports gambling is especially impressionable on youth watching these sporting events. From their point of view, many are too young to really understand the sports world before the gambling aspects that are now prevalent. To them gambling becomes just an ordinary part of watching sports. What’s the big deal to putting some money on the over on a player’s point total in an NBA game they are watching? It’s just a part of the sports experience to them.
Normalization in Collegiate Sports Culture
Sports betting has become very popular at many universities in the USA. From personal experience at collegiate sporting events, it is now very common to overhear current college students in attendance discussing which bets they have on the game or how their parlay is doing. This is something that would have been unheard of a decade ago or even a handful of years ago.
This happens even in states where sports betting is technically not legal, like in this personal example, South Carolina. But residents can still get around that with daily fantasy sports apps such as “Underdog”. Fantasy sports that go simply by over and unders on spreads, totals, money-lines and parlays. A local sports radio station, which is the flagship station for Clemson University in the NCAA, advertises Underdog as an official partner, often encouraging listeners to place wagers for “extra juice” on a game.
Taking a look at any college sports team’s X account after a game will often show a bevy of replies related to gambling. Sports betting is also a major factor in the recent increase in exposure for college baseball.
