Ole Miss Announces College Gambling Center As Concerns Rise Over

The University of Mississippi on Monday revealed the upcoming launch of its new Center on Collegiate Gambling, which scientists describe as the "first of its kind in the country" amid increasing national concern about banking on college sports.


The center was approved by the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees in February and will cost about $700,000 a year. It was developed to study the "heightened risks" for university student and trainee professional athletes brought on by the quick growth of legalized sports betting and online gaming, its founders stated. Researchers said the center will now start employing personnel.


IHL ´ s approval of the center follows the release of study results by University of Mississippi scientists showing that 39% of Mississippi college students gambled in a variety of formats in the previous year. Of those who engaged in sports wagering, 6% of Mississippi university student satisfied criteria for problem gaming as specified by the American Psychiatric Association.


"We actually think that this is a concern that affects Mississippi at large," Hannah Allen-King, executive director of the university ´ s William Magee Institute for Student Wellbeing and assistant professor of public health, stated in a press release. "Therefore, we ´ re trying to deal with our legislators as they dispute policy modification around gaming in the state."


Commercial sports wagering was efficiently prohibited with a few exceptions till 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 1992 restriction. Mississippi permits sports betting now, however only inside gambling establishments.


After the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court choice, sports betting business launched a full-court press lobbying project to bring sports wagering to 10s of countless smart phones around the country, an effort reported to be the fastest expansion of legalized betting in American history. The business have actually poured cash into lobbying state legislators, consisting of those in Mississippi.


But Mississippi has remained among the couple of holdout states, mainly due to fears that legalization might hurt the bottom line of the state ´ s gambling establishments and increase the occurrence of betting dependency. That hasn ´ t stopped a growing black market from taking hold in the state.


In 2024, illegal online betting in Mississippi made up about 5% of the nationwide unlawful market, which is about $3 billion in unlawful bets in Mississippi, supporters said that year. Supporters of legalization state individuals will position online sports wagers regardless of whether the practice is legal, so the state should manage and tax it.


The state House has actually voted, for the third year in a row, to legislate mobile sports betting throughout the continuous 2026 legal session. But Senate leaders have actually said they plan to let the procedure die again.


Nevertheless, college schools have become centers of activity for sports wagering and, significantly, betting dependency. This has triggered require research study into mobile sports wagering ´ s development and influence on young people. The new center will intend to produce such research study, which its founders state is doing not have without a nationwide research center in the U.S. devoted exclusively to the research study of college betting.


The scholastic research study will focus on college trainee betting behaviors ranging from card games to proposition wagering and prediction . The center will also promote "evidence-based policies and programs to avoid damage," consisting of training counselors to help trainees fighting with gambling.


Eight University of Mississippi therapists have actually currently received the accreditation to better equip them to recognize betting addiction in students, the scientists stated.


The rise of college gambling has actually likewise caused increased dangers directed at athletes, whose performance is now carefully tracked by bettors.


"In a state like Mississippi where we put on ´ t have a great deal of expert sports teams, college sports are such a huge part of our culture, and a large part of our state population follows and appreciates college sports," Allen-King stated. "We ´ ve seen that it can impact the mental health of student-athletes who are getting threatened and bugged because individuals are losing money because of their efficiency throughout games.


Daniel Durkin, an associate professor of social work who is likewise among the center ´ s founding members, stated raising awareness of sports gambling ´ s prevalence on college campuses will be a main objective.


"Part of the issue right now is everyone ´ s just enjoying," Durkin stated. "Look at the advertisements; gambling ´ s fun. Everybody ´ s doing it. The severity of the issues has not truly pertain to the forefront yet, but it ´ s only a matter of time."


This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and dispersed through a partnership with The Associated Press.