March Madness is well underway.
As bets get placed and brackets get broken, it’s hard to ignore one aspect of the sports world: gambling.
Sports betting and gambling are prevalent in college and student life.
Temple Update talked to Jessica Barone, who is the Alcohol & Other Drug Prevention Coordinator at the Wellness Resource Center on campus.
“We decided to tackle sports betting because…we’ve heard it anecdotally as a popular thing around campus or just amongst college students in general, especially with college-age students,” Barone says.
“I feel like there is this expectation,” Barone comments, “[that] college is kind of just a time to have fun and to experiment.”
In 2023, the NCAA surveyed over 3000 college students in the US, and found that 67% of on-campus students bet on sports.
The NCAA also found that 63% of students living on-campus recall seeing betting advertisements when they watch sports.
“There’s definitely a lot of advertising in the Philadelphia area as well,” Barone observes, pointing to examples such as SEPTA stations, sports games, and online advertisements.
Now that sports are full of betting and gambling, it’s important to know the risks.
With educational seminars, the Wellness Resource Center helps students on campus learn more about topics that they could be unfamiliar with.
On March 25th, Lydia Lynes spoke to students, educating them on the risks of gambling and what they can do to not fall victim to betting. It was tailored for students with military ties.
“We talked about resources to take that next step and seek help or seek assistance,” Lynes recalls, “Ultimately, we talked about how to check in with yourself.”
