Ole Miss Announces College Gambling Center As Concerns Rise Over

The University of Mississippi on Monday revealed the upcoming launch of its new Center on Collegiate Gambling, which researchers explain as the "very first of its kind in the nation" amid rising national issue about betting on collegiate sports.


The center was authorized 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 athletes triggered by the rapid growth of legalized sports wagering and online gambling, its creators stated. Researchers said the center will now begin hiring staff.


IHL ´ s approval of the center follows the release of survey results by University of Mississippi researchers showing that 39% of Mississippi university student bet in a variety of formats in the past year. Of those who took part in sports betting, 6% of Mississippi college students satisfied requirements for problem betting as specified by the American Psychiatric Association.


"We actually believe that this is a concern that impacts 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 change around betting in the state."


Commercial sports betting was effectively banned with a couple of exceptions up until 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a 1992 restriction. Mississippi permits sports betting now, however just inside casinos.


After the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court choice, sports gambling companies released a full-court press lobbying project to bring sports betting to 10s of millions of mobile phones around the country, an effort reported to be the fastest expansion of legalized betting in American history. The companies have poured cash into lobbying state lawmakers, including those in Mississippi.


But Mississippi has actually remained one of the couple of holdout states, largely due to worries that legalization could harm the bottom line of the state ´ s casinos and increase the frequency of gambling addiction. That hasn ´ t stopped a growing black market from taking hold in the state.


In 2024, prohibited online wagering in Mississippi made up about 5% of the national prohibited market, which has to do with $3 billion in unlawful bets in Mississippi, proponents said that year. Supporters of legalization say individuals will put 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 legislate mobile sports wagering throughout the continuous 2026 legislative session. But Senate leaders have actually stated they prepare to let the measure pass away once again.


Nevertheless, college schools have become centers of activity for sports wagering and, significantly, gambling dependency. This has actually triggered calls for research into mobile sports wagering ´ s growth and influence on young adults. The new center will intend to produce such research study, which its founders say is lacking without a national research center in the U.S. dedicated solely to the research study of collegiate gambling.


The scholastic research will focus on university student gambling behaviors ranging from card games to proposal wagering and prediction markets. The center will also promote "evidence-based policies and programs to prevent damage," consisting of training therapists to assist students dealing with gaming.


Eight University of Mississippi counselors have actually currently received the accreditation to much better equip them to recognize betting in students, the scientists stated.


The increase of collegiate gaming has likewise caused increased risks directed at athletes, whose performance is now carefully tracked by gamblers.


"In a state like Mississippi where we don ´ t have a great deal of expert sports groups, college sports are such a big part of our culture, and a big part of our state population follows and appreciates college sports," Allen-King said. "We ´ ve seen that it can affect the mental health of student-athletes who are getting threatened and pestered since individuals are losing money due to the fact that of their performance throughout video games.


Daniel Durkin, an associate professor of social work who is also among the center ´ s founding members, stated raising awareness of sports betting ´ s frequency on college schools will be a main objective.


"Part of the concern today is everybody ´ s simply having a good time," Durkin stated. "Take a look at the advertisements; gambling ´ s fun. Everybody ´ s doing it. The seriousness of the concerns has not really pertain to the leading edge yet, however it ´ s just a matter of time."


This story was initially published by Mississippi Today and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.