As sports betting explodes, college athletes need to be protected

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Today's guest columnist is Julie Sommer, executive director of the Drake Group Education Fund.

The seamless integration of gambling into college sports was evident in Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark's NCAA record-setting game in February. As she approached the milestone, host Gus Johnson praised real-time betting opportunities on the broadcast. “Fans can bet not only on the point spread, but also on Clark's prop bets… action, action, action on Caitlin!” he pitched breathlessly.

While Johnson received backlash for his enthusiastic call, in many ways it simply reflected the changing sports media landscape. While announcers at the 2024 men's and women's NCAA tournaments themselves have refrained from such blatant cross-promotion, sportsbooks and their media partners have made money through aggressive advertising, pre- and post-game commentary and other tie-ups.

In 2023, an estimated 68 million Americans bet over $15.5 billion on the men's NCAA tournament alone. That was more than five times the amount in 2022 and could be surpassed this year – sportsbooks are already reporting nearly $2.7 billion in wagers, with billions more exchanged informally in group pools across the country.

This exponential growth in gambling in college games is not due to a sudden surge in interest in the game itself – TV ratings for the men's game have declined over the past decade and the competitiveness of the groups themselves has not changed significantly. Instead, the spread of gambling is, unsurprisingly, linked to the simplicity of gambling – the normalization of the industry through direct marketing to young people most at risk of gambling problems or addiction, including athletes themselves. Problem gambling is defined as a emotional problem and an addiction that can lead to financial ruin, damaged relationships and mental health problems – particularly worrying for young people whose brains are still developing and are more vulnerable to addiction.

Since the US Supreme Court opened the floodgates to legalizing sports gambling in 2018 Murphy v. NCAA As a result of the decision, 38 states and the District of Columbia have legalized sports betting in some capacity, and several additional states are actively considering legislation.

As gambling expands, the lines between betting and entertainment are becoming increasingly blurred as media conglomerates collaborate with the gambling industry and target consumers, including vulnerable young people, with sophisticated gambling advertising and incentives.

Although the legal betting age is 21 in most states, nationwide surveys of Americans ages 18 to 22 reflect this increase. Nearly 60% say they have bet on sports, with 4% doing so daily. Even more worrying is that one in 10 people is a habitual or problem gambler. Among students and young people in general, the highest rates of gambling – and problem gambling – occur among men, with young men of color disproportionately suffering the effects of problem gambling.

With the promise of excitement and easy riches through “free bets” and big payouts, college athletes are not immune to the aggressive corporate focus — and widespread acceptance — of college sports gambling. The ubiquity of betting on campus, at home and in dorms, on sports and social media apps, and on televisions contradicts the advice athletes receive from athletic departments about how they should — or must — avoid gambling. To further reinforce their double standards, at least five schools have reached agreements with gambling companies – offering payment for every student who signs up for a betting account. In 2023, four of the five schools announced that these partnerships had ended due to public backlash.

But as the NCAA grapples with antitrust restrictions on its overall regulatory power, it continues to enforce gambling bans, unevenly at best. When the NCAA late last year proposed easing suspension and loss of eligibility for gambling violations, it was both an admission that there is no solution and a sign of compassion. Ahead of March Madness this year, the NCAA announced a new “Draw the Line” program to help educate and address athlete gambling – a necessary step forward that will require investment and widespread adoption to effect.

During March Madness, NCAA President Charlie Baker went even further. In response to increasing reports of players being harassed online by losing bettors, he called on states to ban proposition or “prop” betting, reflecting growing concerns about gaming integrity. While many states already ban prop bets at the college level, Baker's call for uniformity reflects both heightened concerns and a lack of enforcement authority within the governing body.

Some members of Congress have also noted the growing problem gambling crisis and general concerns about gambling. The recently introduced Gambling Addiction, Recovery, Investment and Treatment Act (GRIT) would use an existing federal excise tax on gambling to fund state programs to help expand recovery programs.

Meanwhile, the march toward vertical integration of gaming and entertainment continues, with college sports a key pillar of revenue and growth. Last year, ESPN launched its own online and sports betting venture, promising users “the ability to place bets with less friction within our products” – reinforcing the notion that gambling is an essential part of truly enjoying the sports experience.

What needs to be answered is how the NCAA, college athletic programs and their media partners balance the need for integrity in sports – free from interference, game-fixing and the appearance of conflicts of interest – with their acceptance of gambling revenue. The way we protect student-athletes from the temptations and effects of gambling is a duty we owe them.

To this day, holding athletes more accountable than the industry that targets them is hypocritical and fails to consider the risks that gambling poses to the integrity of the games or the well-being of college athletes. Like the young people they target, the gambling industry, power conferences and their media partners chase the promise of easy money with little regard for the long-term impact of their risky venture.

Julie Sommer, a Seattle attorney who serves as executive director of the Drake Group Education Fund, is a former All-American swimmer at the University of Texas and a former member of the U.S. national team. She is on Twitter @JulieRSommer.