Lack of Research Funding Leaves Colleges Unprepared for Rise in Student Gambling Addiction

The most significant obstacle to understanding — and ultimately addressing — the inevitable rise of gambling addiction among college students is not denial, stigma or even access to betting platforms, a University of Mississippi researcher says. It is money.Or more precisely, the lack of it.“There’s no federal funding for gambling research,” Daniel Durkin, an associate professor of social work at Ole Miss, tells the Sun. “That’s very problematic for anyone studying this issue, and for that reason, there are very few people doing research in this area.”Mr. Durkin is one of the co-founders of the newly created Center on Collegiate Gambling. Based on the campus at Oxford, Mississippi, the center is a first of its kind initiative aimed at studying and addressing gambling-related harm among college students and student-athletes.Researchers like Mr. Durkin say the absence of sustained federal and private investment has left colleges largely unprepared to confront what is increasingly viewed as a public health concern.“The main thing we need is some money,” Mr. Durkin said bluntly. “We don’t have enough research out there.”The proposed center carries an estimated annual budget of $700,000 — funding that has yet to materialize. For now, much of the work is being done by faculty and staff volunteering their time, driven by a growing sense that campuses are facing a problem they do not fully understand.“This is on people’s free time,” Mr. Durkin said. “We don’t even have a physical space. It’s just us working out of our own offices.”The need for the center stems in part from what researchers are beginning to uncover. A statewide survey conducted by Mr. Durkin and his colleagues at Ole Miss found that nearly 39 percent of Mississippi college students reported gambling in the past year, with about 6 percent meeting the criteria for problem gambling. Another 10 percent fell into a moderate-risk category.What makes those numbers particularly striking is that Mississippi has not fully legalized online sports betting.“We found out our students are just like college students everywhere else,” Mr. Durkin said. “They’re gambling at pretty much the same rates and exhibiting problem gambling at the same rates. That’s despite the fact that it’s still illegal here in Mississippi.”The findings reinforce a broader national trend that has accelerated since the Murphy v. NCAA Supreme Court ruling opened the door to legalized sports wagering. Today, sports betting is legal in most states in some form, and participation among young adults has surged.Studies suggest nearly 60 percent of individuals ages 18 to 22 have engaged in sports betting, while problem gambling rates among college students — typically between 6 and 10 percent — are roughly double those of the general adult population.Despite those figures, gambling addiction remains one of the least studied behavioral health issues in the country. Mr. Durkin encountered that gap firsthand while attending academic conferences on the subject.“We realized there are gambling research centers out there,” he said. “But they’re focused on gambling in the general population. We felt there was a need for one specifically focused on the college environment.”That distinction matters. College students occupy a uniquely vulnerable space — navigating newfound independence, financial pressures and social influences, all while being immersed in a culture where gambling has become increasingly normalized.Mobile platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel provide 24-hour access to betting, often integrated seamlessly into the experience of watching sports. Advertising targets young adults through social media and live broadcasts.“Gambling used to be fringe,” Mr. Durkin said. “Now people know plenty of people who do it. It’s everywhere. But if the number of people gambling rises, that means the number of people with gambling problems is also going to rise.”Research has linked problem gambling among students to financial losses, academic decline, anxiety, depression and sleep disturbances. In some cases, students have reported losing thousands of dollars, sometimes using financial aid or family support.For student athletes, the stakes can be even higher.“Not only are students at risk because of their age group and being exposed to it on college campuses, but we also have student athletes that have to deal with threats that they get,” Mr. Durkin said. Despite the scope of the problem, many universities remain ill-equipped to respond. Counseling centers that are well versed in addressing substance abuse and mental health issues often lack the training and resources to identify and treat gambling disorders.“If you or your roommate has an alcohol problem, depression or anxiety, students know what to do and where to go to get help,” Mr. Durkin said. “It’s not the same with gambling. Right now, anybody who develops a full blown gambling disorder, we don’t have the capacity for that.”The lack of funding has also created a reliance — and tension — around industry involvement in research. Some studies are supported by gambling companies, raising questions about credibility and independence.“When people see industry-sponsored research, they don’t trust it,” Mr. Durkin said.Still, he acknowledged the complexity of the situation. “There’s money from the industry going into research,” he said. “If they reach out and want to partner, we’ll have to consider it.”For Mr. Durkin and his colleagues, the immediate goal is to secure enough funding to launch the Center on Collegiate Gambling and begin building a framework for prevention, education and treatment. Counselors are already undergoing specialized training. A task force is developing policy recommendations. Informal conversations with students suggest there is interest — and need — for more information and support.But scaling those efforts will depend on financial backing, both public and private.“We’re looking for donors,” Mr. Durkin said. “We just need to find those folks.”In the long term, he envisions the center serving not only the University of Mississippi but institutions across the state and beyond. The goal is to develop adaptable models that other campuses can use to address gambling-related harm within their own communities.“What works here may not work somewhere else,” he said. “But we want to provide resources so every campus can build a plan that fits their needs.”Within five years, Durkin hopes the center will be fully operational — with dedicated staff, on-campus treatment capabilities and the ability to assist other universities in developing their own programs. For now, however, the effort remains in its infancy — a reflection of both the scale of the challenge and the limited resources devoted to addressing it.“We’re not anti-gambling,” Mr. Durkin said. “Most people can gamble responsibly. We just need to be able to deal with the folks that can’t.”

Lack of Research Funding Leaves Colleges Unprepared for Rise in Student Gambling Addiction

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