A University of Mississippi junior began sports betting when he was 16. What started as a $5 wager quickly became a habit. 

“I had a buddy that had started getting into gambling, and he said it was fun. It literally started with one $5 bet on a sports game that we were going to, and it kind of took off from there,” he said. 

Because sports betting is illegal in his home state, The Daily Mississippian granted the student anonymity.

Over the years, he has placed bets on college football, baseball and other sports, with his biggest win reaching $800 and his largest loss at $600. For him, gambling has been more about chasing a feeling than just money.

“The euphoria for winning is great. It’s compared to a drug, and it’s very similar to it. It just makes you hungry to bet more, but you have to be careful around that,” he said. 

After struggling with gambling, the student said that — by balancing his academic and career responsibilities — he has now gained control over his habit.

Mobile sports betting is illegal in Mississippi outside of casino grounds. However, HB1302 — which would legalize mobile sports betting throughout the state — was passed by the Mississippi House of Representatives last week and is now being considered by the Senate. 

The legislation would require mobile betting platforms like FanDuel and DraftKings to partner with Mississippi casinos.

In anticipation of the legislation’s approval — and an uptick in the number of students engaging in online sports betting — individuals and organizations at the University of Mississippi are raising awareness about the financial and mental impacts of gambling and advocating for campus resources to help students struggling with gambling. 

Why students gamble

A 2023 study by the Journal of American College Health found that 25% of all Mississippi college students had gambled in the past year, though experts believe the real number is higher.

Ronald J. Rychlak is a UM law professor and appointed member of the Mississippi Mobile-Online Sports Betting Task Force, which was created by the Mississippi House to research online sports betting in anticipation of possible legalization. Rychlak’s role was to understand the impact on college campuses. 

He explained that online apps have made the betting process easier for college students.

“You’re home on a Saturday afternoon, and you’re watching football all day long, drinking beer, making bets. You’re able to make bets on a phone the way you can’t otherwise because you can bet throughout the game,” Rychlak said. 

Many students are exposed to gambling advertisements, Director of Wellness and Education at the William Magee Center Nicholas McAfee said. 

“About three quarters of (high school and college students) had some targeted gambling or betting ads sent to them on social media,” McAfee said.

Artificial intelligence also plays a role in encouraging online betting habits, Daniel Durkin, an associate professor at UM and member of the faculty senate advisory board to the NCAA, said.

“AI targets problem gamblers and exploits them. … Say you’re down $1,000 and you get a notification  —‘Hey, we noticed you’re down. How about betting on this three-team parlay?’” Durkin said.

For students, however, the reason behind gambling’s popularity is simple — they believe it is social and fun.

A UM senior, who was also granted anonymity, has been sports betting since his senior year of high school. While he is an avid football fan, he typically bets on Korean baseball, Ultimate Fighting Champion and the National Basketball League.

“For sports that I don’t enjoy watching, (gambling) makes the sport a lot more fun to watch because I actually have something to win,” he said.

The senior uses platforms he has found through friends and TikTok advertisements. Many of these apps are offshore or have legal workarounds that make them accessible.

“We all follow each other on the apps and keep track of each other. It keeps me invested in the game,” he said. “I’ll bet with my fraternity brother sometimes, but I would say that’s not really a contingency. … It’s more with my high school friends.”

Gambling blues

While online betting offers social enjoyment, it has both monetary and mental costs.

The Ole Miss senior places around five or six online bets per week, which he believes is more frequent than most students, though he says he is more responsible than his friends. 

“I have some friends at (Texas) A&M that spend like a couple thousand a month,” he said. “I stopped at my buddies’ for a night before I drove up (to Ole Miss), and I watched my friend play slots on his computer for like six hours and lose like 400 bucks.”

He explained how he allocates his money while gambling.

“If I win big, I try to pull out the money right away because I don’t want to gamble again because I made the money,” he said. “If I start with like $5 and get up to $50, I might as well gamble the $50 because I’d only be losing $5. If I gamble $100 and make $200, then I want to pull out because I have more money at risk.”

When he loses, the senior said that gambling also takes a toll on him. 

“I get pretty upset when I lose, especially if I lose big. I’ll stop gambling for a couple months and try to make some money or just not gamble if I don’t have money to spend,” he said.

For McAfee and Durkin, the mental effects are especially concerning. The National Council of Problem Gambling estimates that 6% of all college students have a serious gambling problem. 

“We’re worried about the young student that gets into thousands of dollars in gambling debt and thinks there’s no way out and takes their life. When it’s just money, it’s fixable,” Durkin said.

McAfee has found a correlation between gambling and dropping out of college — though this is often exacerbated by other mental health issues. 

“Gambling, of course, is this reinforcing behavior. People can repetitively engage in gambling even though they don’t want to, even when it causes them harm,” McAfee said.

For the athletes who are being betted on, the stakes extend beyond competition, with some facing threats from gamblers who lose money, according to McAfee. 

“It’s different when people are putting tons of money on these folks who are just barely adults, and they’re getting messages from grown people essentially threatening their lives,” McAfee said. 

Getting ahead of the issue

Thirty states have passed legislation that legalizes online sports betting as of January, according to the Legal Sports Report. 

Mississippi’s HB1302 would prohibit anyone below the age of 21 from taking bets. Bets can be placed anywhere within the state, provided platforms partner with existing brick-and-mortar casinos. A 12% tax would be placed on all mobile sports bets, which is projected to make millions in revenue for infrastructure projects in Mississippi, according to the Clarion Ledger.

In anticipation of the HB1302 being enacted, many campus entities are advocating for resources that help students with gambling addiction.

Associated Student Body Vice President Jack Jones has concerns about gambling on campus.

“It’s already an issue, and it’s not even legal yet. … If it’s legalized, gambling addiction is one of those things you may not even realize you have,” Jones said. 

While students receive education on alcohol and drug addiction, Jones says gambling awareness is severely lacking. 

“How many times have you ever been asked about your gambling behavior? Pretty much never, right? Almost no doctor, even a therapist, right? Like that’s not part of a standard questionnaire,” McAfee said.

The university’s chancellor, ASB and Durkin are working on a plan to create a space for a gambling clinician at the gambling center at the William Magee Center to help students struggling with gambling addiction.

They recently went to Jackson to advocate for funding from legislators. This trip followed a meeting last year with the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics.

“When they came to talk to us, what they told us was that on many college campuses across the country, it’s become a public health emergency, that people are developing problems,” Durkin said.