撸先生

It鈥檚 almost impossible to hear March without thinking Madness. Throughout America, the nickname for the NCAA men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball tournaments has come to connotate upsets, buzzer beaters and, most certainly, betting.

Gambling on the tournaments once meant throwing a few bucks into a pool and filling out a bracket or wagering at a sports book in Nevada鈥攐r with a shady bookie just about anywhere else. But since the Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that states could legalize sports gambling, you don鈥檛 even have to get out of bed to place a bet.

Now, anyone in the 38 states and District of Columbia where the practice is legal lives with a sports book鈥攁ka a phone鈥攁ttached to their hip.

Last year, more than $2.72 billion was wagered on the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 tournaments using legalized sports books, according to the American Gaming Association. That鈥檚 nearly twice as much as is legally wagered on the Super Bowl.

Responsible Gambling at 撸先生

When Maryland okayed sports gambling in 2020, Emily Wiegand immediately recognized the risk it would present to college students.

[Young people] have a harder time slowing down and thinking through what the potential risks ... there鈥檚 the combination of impulsivity with invincibility, and that鈥檚 a perfect storm.

Emily Wiegand, assistant director for prevention at the Counseling Center

鈥淵oung people are in a higher risk category because of their brain development,鈥� says Wiegand, assistant director for prevention at the Counseling Center. 鈥淭hey have a harder time slowing down and thinking through what the potential risks and consequences might be. And if there's a problem, if someone is engaging in this behavior out of a financial concern or another mental health concern, they're looking for a quick fix. So there鈥檚 the combination of impulsivity with invincibility, and that鈥檚 a perfect storm.鈥�  

In 2022, right before mobile sports gambling in Maryland went live, she spearheaded 撸先生鈥檚 successful effort to land a $40,000 grant from the to start Tigers Play Responsibly, the university鈥檚 revolutionary gambling prevention program.

鈥淎s part of our application, we did a pretty thorough search of campuses all across the country,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e couldn't find anyone who had a prevention program in place for this. That was our intention鈥攖o create a comprehensive prevention program that we could offer to the campus community.鈥�

Tigers Play Responsibly

Tigers Play Responsibly trains student leaders about how to spot problem gambling in whatever form it exists and the steps to take if someone needs help. It also conducts print and digital marketing campaigns to raise awareness.

The signs can be tough recognize, Wiegand says, because they can be easier to hide than physical addictions to drugs or alcohol. If a student has a problem, they can come to the Counseling Center for a confidential, same-day appointment.

Increasing the ability to talk about problem gambling is important, Wiegand says. Since the program debuted, it has received lots of positive feedback.

鈥淲hen we started this in the fall of 2022 before sports gambling went live, the response from students was mediocre at best because gambling wasn't really part of the thought process,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was interesting to see what happened after sports betting went live. All of a sudden, students were like, 鈥極h, yeah. We're talking about this now.鈥欌��

That was our intention鈥攖o create a comprehensive prevention program that we could offer to the campus community.

Emily Wiegand

As part of the program, all student-athletes take an educational course prior to their freshman year. Although gambling on NCAA-sanctioned sports is against NCAA rules, it鈥檚 permissible for them to wager on things like NASCAR, mixed martial arts and horse racing. It鈥檚 a population that is especially at risk for several reasons, including athletes鈥� competitiveness.

鈥淭he idea of, 鈥業 want to win鈥� can factor in for sure,鈥� says Nathan Wilder, 撸先生鈥檚 senior associate athletic director, sports medicine and performance. 鈥淵ou can bet on anything in this world right now. It runs rampant. It鈥檚 one of those things that you think is no big deal, then all of a sudden you find yourself knee deep in it.鈥�

Sports Gambling on Campus

Pat Coyle 鈥�25 is a football player who heads 撸先生鈥檚 . The education major says that while he doesn鈥檛 see widespread gambling among his fellow student-athletes, it is more common across the rest of the campus.

鈥淚t is definitely very popular in this age group because it鈥檚 something that鈥檚 new,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou turn 21, and now you鈥檙e allowed to do this thing that everyone wants to try. It鈥檚 like anything. It鈥檚 the next new thing that you鈥檙e allowed to do, so why not try it?鈥�

Nearly 60% of Americans ages 18 to 22 have bet on sports.

Due to a high rate of underreporting, it鈥檚 difficult to gauge the scope of the problem. But an found that nearly 60% of Americans ages 18 to 22 have bet on sports and that almost 4% do daily. Nearly 6% reported losing more than $500 in one day. Another study, conducted at the University of Buffalo, found one in 10 college students is a pathological gambler, compared to the 2鈥�5% of the general population that is estimated to have a gambling problem.

So, do Tigers Play Responsibly?

I love that gambling prevention has taken a front seat for college campuses because we鈥檙e raising awareness and education in an attempt to do something about it before it's too late.

Emily Wiegand

鈥淚s there a positive impact? I think so,鈥� Wiegand says. 鈥淚f students think there's a chance to win a quick buck, some students will go for that. Others won't. So I think all of this work is worth doing and continuously looking at how we do the prevention, what gaps are there and where do we need to either heighten our efforts or change what we're doing. I have gotten calls from several universities asking for more information about our gambling prevention work, as they are now applying for the same grant that we initially received. I love that gambling prevention has taken a front seat for college campuses because we鈥檙e raising awareness and education in an attempt to do something about it before it's too late.鈥�