Ole Miss Announces College Gambling Center As Concerns Rise Over
The University of Mississippi on Monday announced the upcoming launch of its new Center on Collegiate Gambling, which researchers describe as the "first of its kind in the country" amidst increasing nationwide concern about wagering on collegiate 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 dangers" for university student and trainee professional athletes triggered by the fast development of legalized sports betting and online betting, its founders said. Researchers stated the center will now begin working with staff.
IHL ´ s approval of the center follows the release of study outcomes by University of Mississippi researchers showing that 39% of Mississippi university student bet in a range of formats in the previous year. Of those who engaged in sports betting, 6% of Mississippi college trainees met requirements for problem gambling as specified by the American Psychiatric Association.
"We truly 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, said in a news release. "And so, we ´ re attempting to work with our lawmakers as they debate policy modification around gambling in the state."
Commercial sports wagering was successfully banned with a couple of exceptions till 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a 1992 prohibition. Mississippi permits sports wagering now, but just inside gambling establishments.
After the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision, sports gambling companies launched a full-court press lobbying campaign to bring sports betting to tens of countless mobile phones around the country, an effort reported to be the fastest growth of legalized gambling in American history. The business have put cash into lobbying state lawmakers, consisting of those in Mississippi.
But Mississippi has stayed one of the few holdout states, mostly due to fears that legalization might hurt the bottom line of the state ´ s casinos and increase the occurrence of betting dependency. That hasn ´ t stopped a thriving black market from taking hold in the state.
In 2024, prohibited online wagering in Mississippi comprised about 5% of the national illegal market, which is about $3 billion in unlawful bets in Mississippi, proponents stated that year. Supporters of legalization state individuals will place online sports wagers regardless of whether the practice is legal, so the state must manage and tax it.
The state House has actually voted, for the third year in a row, to legalize mobile sports wagering during the continuous 2026 legal session. But Senate leaders have stated they plan to let the procedure die again.
Nevertheless, college schools have actually become hubs of activity for sports wagering and, significantly, betting dependency. This has actually triggered require research into mobile sports betting ´ s development and effect on young adults. The new center will intend to produce such research, which its founders say is lacking without a national proving ground in the U.S. devoted solely to the research study of college gaming.
The academic research study will focus on college trainee gambling habits varying from card video games to proposal betting and forecast markets. The center will also promote "evidence-based policies and programs to avoid damage," consisting of training counselors to help trainees having problem with gaming.
Eight University of Mississippi therapists have actually currently received the certification to better equip them to determine betting dependency in trainees, the .
The rise of college betting has likewise resulted in increased threats directed at professional athletes, whose performance is now closely tracked by gamblers.
"In a state like Mississippi where we don ´ t have a lot of professional 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 affect the mental health of student-athletes who are getting threatened and harassed since people are losing cash since of their efficiency during games.
Daniel Durkin, an associate professor of social work who is also among the center ´ s founding members, said raising awareness of sports betting ´ s prevalence on college campuses will be a central goal.
"Part of the concern today is everybody ´ s simply enjoying," Durkin stated. "Look at the advertisements; betting ´ s enjoyable. Everybody ´ s doing it. The severity of the concerns has not actually pertain to the leading edge yet, however it ´ s just a matter of time."
This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and dispersed through a collaboration with The Associated Press.