A new NCAA survey of the gambling behaviors of more than 20,000 student-athletes has provided an in-depth view into how the quickly changing sports betting landscape in the U.S. is impacting those who play NCAA sports.
Even with the proliferation of legal sports betting in the United States since the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018, similar percentages of NCAA student-athletes reported betting on sports for money in 2016, the last time a study was published, and 2024.
“The research findings are important, but not surprising,” said Professor Gil Fried, Associate Dean of Academics and Accreditation at Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business at the University of West Florida for both surveys. “The same percentage of student-athletes are still betting on sports.
The Co-Editor of Legal Issues in Sports Betting, Dr. Fried added that the survey “shows that all the educational efforts are not really making a meaningful dent in the gambling behavior. At all levels the number of male student-athletes (at DI, DII, and DIII) who bet on one or more contests, knowing it violated NCAA rules, dropped from 24% in 2016 to 22% by 2024. The number of women who bet stayed at around 5%. While so much of the attention is spent on athletes at the DI level, the research has shown that student-athletes at the lower levels were also more frequently betting on games.”
NCAA President Charlie Baker suggested that “we need to continue to focus on education and additional harm prevention techniques in this space. Most young people are exposed to gambling while they’re in high school, and by the time they graduate college, some develop an unhealthy relationship with betting. We are focused on supporting student-athletes and providing them with resources to combat these behaviors.”
‘A More Nuanced and Concerning Story Emerges’
Research shows that when the number of men who bet frequently on sports is examined, “a more nuanced and concerning story emerges,” according to the NCAA. Slight decreases were observed in the percentage of Division I men betting on sports once a month or more. However, such frequent bettors were more numerous in Division II and especially in Division III in 2024 as compared with 2016.
For example, in 2016, 12% of Division III men bet on sports once per month or more versus 17% in 2024. In the men’s sports that have traditionally had the highest proportion of sports bettors over the last 20 years across divisions (baseball, basketball, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse and soccer), the percentage of Division III men who said they bet on sports once a month or more in 2024 grew substantially in aggregate relative to 2016. The percentages for those sports individually for Division III men ranged from 15% to more than 25%. The Division I range of such frequent sports betting among participants in those same seven men’s sports was 2% to 8% in 2024.
While most forms of sports betting are against NCAA rules, the NCAA modernized penalties for wagering activities in 2023 in a commitment to reduce the stigma and get help to those in need as opposed to strictly punishing those student-athletes with a loss of eligibility.
“It remains essential that we continue to embrace and implement harm reduction strategies that lower risk and foster prevention of problem gambling,” NCAA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deena Casiero said. “We remain committed to research-backed methods of promoting healthy behaviors to support our student-athletes and to reduce the stigma associated with problem gambling.”
Both men and women view gambling as a social activity, with 85% of men and 95% of women saying they are most likely to gamble with family, a romantic partner, teammates or friends outside of sports. One notable change since the previous survey in 2016 is that more men, who data show are most prone to problem gambling disorders, are gambling alone (6% in 2016 versus 15% in 2024). The primary concern about gambling alone is that problem gambling behaviors may remain unknown to the bettor’s family, friends, teammates and coaches.
Most of the sports betting behaviors of student-athletes involve relatively low stakes. The largest self-reported one-day sports betting loss among NCAA athletes who ever bet on sports was less than $50 for two-thirds of men and 90% of women. However, there are more reported instances of large losses in the new data. For instance, 2% of men reported single-day losses of $500 or more in 2016, while 5% of men reported such losses in 2024.
The increase in sports betting opportunities in the U.S. correlates with the increases noted in NCAA athletes being asked for inside information. However, perhaps because of campus educational efforts, the percentage of Division I student-athletes reporting that they knowingly provided inside information remains lower in 2024 than seen when these surveys began in 2004.
The NCAA collaborates with EPIC Global Solutions to deliver the world’s largest comprehensive and customized sports betting harm prevention education program. Since the first full year of EPIC’s collaboration with the NCAA in 2022, EPIC has completed education sessions at over 260 schools and 70 conferences in 47 states. Over 75,000 student-athletes, coaches and administrators have been reached as part of the NCAA’s education efforts with EPIC.
As for betting-related harassment, many high-profile men and women reported experiencing harassment from someone with a betting interest in their competition. Among the highest rates, 21% of Division I student-athletes in men’s tennis reported experiencing harassment from bettors, while 17% of Division I men’s basketball student-athletes reported such harassment.
Gambling harm education remains a key focus of the NCAA. The national office and representatives from member schools continuously work together to determine best practices for addressing the sports wagering landscape. The Association will continue to enhance and expand its offering of resources and initiatives to promote student-athlete well-being and the integrity of college athletics.
“The research will hopefully direct enforcement and educational efforts across a broader swatch of the collegiate athletic landscape,” added Dr. Fried. “Ultimately, the hope is that education will make a difference. Similar to how workplace educational efforts helped to reduce sexual harassment and discrimination, the hope is that educational around sports betting will not only make a difference in collegiate athletics, but also professional sports.”
To read the full study, click this link.
