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Published on: December 8, 2014
A national study on gambling among US college student-athletes
Jiun-Hau Huang1, Durand F Jacobs, Jeffrey L Derevensky
1Educational & Counselling Psychology Department, McGill University, and International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems & High-Risk Behaviors, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. jiun-hau.huang@mcgill.ca
Objective:
The authors examined the national prevalence of gambling problems and sports wagering among US college student-athletes.
Participants:
A national sample of 20,739 student-athletes participated in the study.
Methods:
The authors used data from the first national survey of gambling among college athletes, conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Results:
Men (62.4%) consistently had higher past-year prevalence of gambling than did women (42.8%). The authors identified 4.3% of men and 0.4% of women as problem or pathological gamblers. Among the most popular forms of gambling were playing cards, lotteries, and games of skill, with male-to-female prevalence ratio ranging 1.3-5.6 across various gambling activities. Athletes in golf and lacrosse were more likely to report sports wagering than were other athletes. Athletes in gender-specific sports wagered more prevalently than did athletes in unisex sports.
Conclusion:
Gambling prevalence may be underestimated in this population because respondents' athletics eligibility is at stake. This study provides important baseline data for future cohorts of athletes.
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