Problem sports betting/gambling in U.S. undergraduate students at a large public university
Objective: To estimate the prevalence of potential problem gambling among college students at a large U.S. public university who reported having participated in sports betting/gambling. Participants: A customized Healthy Minds Study (HMS) Student Survey was administered to undergraduate students (n = 1,489) at a large U.S. public university in 2025. Methods: The survey assessed lifetime participation in sports betting/gambling excluding one-time events like March Madness, and the prevalence of potential problem gambling based on the 3-question NODS-CLiP, a validated screening tool. Results: Of weighted responses, 10% (152/1,471) had engaged in sports betting/gambling in their lifetime. Of students endorsing lifetime participation in sports betting/gambling, 38% (58/152) screened positive for potential problem gambling on the NODS-CLiP. Conclusions: Of college students who had engaged in sports betting/gambling, more than one third screened positive for potential problem gambling based on a validated screening tool.
Authors
- Lindsey Mortenson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8125-5798)
- Christopher Frank (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9195-0869)
- Elizabeth McEvoy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3076-3977)
Institutions
- University of Michigan (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of American College Health
- Published
- 2026-10-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2026.2744233
- Primary Topic
- Gambling Behavior and Treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00