A lot of of students are gambling in college, and what’s more troubling is that some are using financial aid funds. But these students are not all acting alone—about a quarter of them said their colleges are promoting sports betting, according to a survey.
Some 1 in 6 college students report gambling with financial aid and student loan money to place bets, according to a poll of approximately 1,000 students by Intelligent.com, a college planning and online degree rankings website.
Also concerning is that nearly a third of college gamblers reported spending less on food or running up credit card debt to fund their gambling habits. Smaller numbers of students have delayed paying bills or taken fewer classes to keep more money available for wagering, the survey found. Here are some more stats that may worry campus administrators:
- 15% of students say they gamble every day
- 19% gamble a few times a week
- 21% gamble once a week
- 60% of college gamblers are underage and use other people’s identifications or accounts illegally
Students who said their colleges have promoted sports betting reported seeing advertisements, and even betting company representatives, on campus. And more than a third claimed they received promo codes directly from their college.
Another website has found that gambling is even more prevalent on campus. More than three-fourths of college students bet on the lottery, casino games, cards, sports and bingo, according to CollegeGambling.org, which helps individuals with gambling problems.
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