Two professors from Connecticut and UConn in particular have highlighted the proliferation of gambling-related harm among undergraduates as part of new detailed research.
According to Eleni Rodis, Managing Director of the Research Division at the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Wendy Ulaszek, UConn School of Social Work Associate Research Professor, there is strong evidence that increased gambling activity is also resulting in higher levels of harm among the university population.
Survey looks at gambling frequency among undergraduates
To reach their findings, the survey was run across 30 higher education institutions in Connecticut and received feedback from 1,300 students.
The survey established that 72% of people interviewed had gambled in the 12 months leading up to the questionnaire. According to Rodis and Ulaszek and their findings, 1% of all respondents had been diagnosed with a gambling disorder or had received help because of one.
Another 8% were qualified as "serious problem gamblers" as per an official press statement recapping the report’s findings, and 17.2% of respondents were designated as moderate-riskgamblers.
Overall, the research aims to help equip institutions of higher learning with the tools necessary to tackle the problem. One of the proposals is to have universities do more to raise awareness about problem gambling, and work on establishing support groups and helpful resources on campus.
Rodis and Ulaszek similarly argue that freshman welcome packets should also come with materials that raise the issue, alongside binge drinking, drug use, and unprotected sex. However, gambling should not be thought of as the conventional way of entering a casino and spinning a roulette wheel, cautions Rodis.
Gen Z gamblers are not just casino-goers anymore
Things have changed dramatically, and Gen Z is now gambling on other more pervasive activities as well, including fantasy sports, cryptocurrency, and even prediction markets that run options on who the Next Pope, whether Taylor Swift will top the charts again, or who would win the next Nobel Peace Prize.
This is the latest meaningful contribution to the field, as research into gambling-related harm, especially among young people, is most likely going to serve as the basis of tighter regulatory rules that are specifically designated to address outstanding problems in the current legislation.
The latest survey comes against a backdrop of an increase in searches for gambling addiction in the United States, and the proposal of the SAFE Bet Act, an initiative seeking to introduce federal-level safeguards that bind the industry to a certain code of conduct meant to enhance player protection.
