When the debate about overturning legalized sports betting may have on underage bettors.
The fear was that sports fans, particularly young males, would see betting on games as a normalized process that, in turn, would “hook” them. Of course, those on the other side countered that sports betting was already ingrained in society, and marketing messages persuading young people to make lifestyle choices were nothing new.
As a sports bettor from an early age and a college professor at Rider University in New Jersey who analyzes the sports media, I was particularly interested in this debate. On a daily basis, I encounter one demographic group central to this concern: college-aged sports fans.
Over the past five years, the conversations I hear about sports have definitely changed. Now there is far more talk about the betting lines, the total, and bad beats mixed in with chatter about last night’s action.
Since I see more students with increased interest in betting, I wanted to gauge their mindset on this growing trend and try to determine how it might be different from someone like myself — i.e., a seasoned handicapper not raised on social media who tries to make decisions based on the best practices of the industry.
This inquiry led me to interview over 20 college students about their betting motivations in an effort to actually document their feelings rather than just speculate from afar.
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My interview subjects were close to unanimous with their primary motivation to bet on sports: It plays a central role in their social interactions with friends.
Betting on games allows college students to have a shared topic for discussion, either in person or online. While those who are well-removed from their college years likely see something social as meeting up with friends in person, this younger demographic has an entirely different interaction that fuels their need to connect with others.
The lives of college students emanate from their phone, but from a wagering standpoint, betting apps are essentially melded into their use of Instagram and TikTok. They can easily move from one to another, creating simultaneous avenues of social interaction and stimulation.
Sporting contests have always had a major social component. However, “being social” now also includes posting plays on X and texting multiple people simultaneously, regardless of their location.
One student summed up how his betting routine is intertwined with his social life.
“I tell some of my friends to come over and watch the Knicks-Heat game,” said this bettor. “Once they get here, we talk about who we like and why, and then all decide to be on the same team. It’s more fun that way.”
This type of pre-flop betting decision was common with those interviewed. For the most part, they shared the idea of social currency from betting on sports as being more valuable than any dollar amount.
While there are college students who bet above their means, I didn’t encounter it with these interviewees. Most of them talked about $5 and $10 bets being the common units. A “win” for these bettors was more contingent on the experience with friends while watching a game and having some action on it than the results impacting their bankroll.
A number of them also said they had little interest in betting on games by themselves.
“Sitting alone watching a game with my phone and making bets doesn’t really sound like something I want to do,” said one collegiate bettor.
As it relates to fun, a bettor like myself enjoys the camaraderie of sports betting with friends. However, fun doesn’t factor too high in my decision-making. I have fun when my bankroll increases.
No matter where or who I’m with, it’s not fun seeing a balance lower than it was previously. But that’s not necessarily the case with younger bettors.
“Even if I lose and I still have fun watching the game, it doesn’t really bother me,” said the previously quoted student.
Another student described how he got over the emotions of a losing streak because he accrued enough points on Fanatics Sportsbook to get a Luka Doncic jersey. From his response, this student didn’t understand the actual cost of that jersey.
One of the main takeaways from these interviews was that there was a difference in why college-aged bettors were making plays compared to an older demographic. Younger people are fueled so much by the thrill that profit isn’t the main goal.
Relatedly, marketing gimmicks based on action and cumulative prizes seems to be working for those with this mindset.
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When it comes to how they decide what side to wager on, a number of them used the same term: “feel” — as in a feel for who will win the game or play well. Player props are popular betting options, particularly as it relates to the NBA.
Very few of them said they used analytical or quantitative research. Instead, they relied on what the group was thinking about a game and how that related to recent performances they watched.
Anecdotal handicapping, what I try to avoid when making wagers, is their preferred method.
This type of mentality is certainly welcomed by the sportsbooks.
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Related to the thrill and fun element, these bettors took a much different approach to parlays than more veteran bettors typically do.
One of the respondents came back to the word “fun” when describing why he only bets parlays. He enjoys the feeling of tracking multiple games at once to see how the different lines are aligning.
During the interviews, I did not want to ask about unit size to prevent any feelings of inadequacy. The students, though, without a prompt, shared the size of their wagers, and it fit with the mentality of turning a small wager into a large payday.
The examples some used were turning “$5 into something like a $100 bucks” or “winning a couple hundred dollars from like a $7 parlay.”
The NFL was the league of choice for parlays.
I told the respondents how rare it is for me to bet parlays because of the small chance of winning and how the books often price parlays (especially same-game parlays) at odds detrimental to the consumer. That created some cognitive dissonance on their end, since it didn’t fit with the fun element.
They were not really interested in the practically or the math behind the payouts. For them, the parlays bring enjoyment to the betting process and that is their main motivation.
One student summed it up by saying, “I don’t know how people just make a single game bet, that’s boring. I need more than just betting Atlanta against Pittsburgh.”
So, next time you see a promo for Stephen A. Smith’s preferred seven-leg parlay of the night and look past it, realize the target audience is interested. Those promos are an effective way to generate more fun with a possible large payoff awaiting.
Since they bet on impulse, there was a general lack of understanding from them regarding implied odds and the impact over time of betting a favorite of, say, -130 instead of -110.
Line shopping is not a regular practice for these students, most of whom said they had “two to three” active online betting s.
I did encounter one quantitative-driven student, who, not coincidentally, is a finance major who avoids parlays. His methodology was different from the majority. He uses the proverbial numbers and not team approach and tracks his ROI via a spreadsheet.
Others such as him must exist on campuses across the country, but for my sample, he was the outlier who saw dollars trumping fun.
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While sports betting may create an attractive social situation for college students, by law, they need to be 21 years of age or older to participate.
The age restrictions, however, were not at all an impediment for those interviewed, a number of whom were under 21. All it takes is for someone of age to open a sports betting in their name before handing the controls over to the underage bettor. This is apparently a very common practice on college campuses.
Off all the respondents, 15 was the youngest age at which someone started betting on sports.
The students were initially puzzled by my questions on how they got started prior to being 21. While I thought it would be of concern, the students said all their peers kicked off their betting careers prior to the listed legal age.
Brother, cousins, and older friends were the conduits of choice.
“My father opened up a [national sportsbook] in his name and then gave me the and to use,” said a student. “He doesn’t bet, so I use it and he says he can watch over my to make sure I don’t get stupid with it.”
This student added that he is not sure if his father really monitors the , but the specter of it keeps his unit size in check.
A positive result of this research is that none of the students reported encountering someone dealing with problem gambling in of addiction or going into debt. Perhaps they have not been doing it long enough or are not wagering over their means.
It would be naive to think this is universally the case.
Phoning it in 2h494s
As would be expected, when talking to these students about betting, much of the conversation revolved around doing so on their phone. Like, just about everything else they do during the day. That’s why betting on sports via the phone is such a natural progression for many.
This exposure to sports betting has not necessarily sparked these students to travel to a brick-and-mortar casino for a more traditional gaming experience. Even though most of those interviewed were from the New Jersey/Philadelphia area, where there is a concentration of casinos nearby, going there and betting wasn’t part of their lifestyle.
The rationale was a common one: an intimidating venue to enter for the first time and uncertainty on the protocols of table games. The convenience factor of doing anything at home was another.
One student said, “Why would I go to a casino and use real money, pay for things like gas, when I can kind of do it for free at home?”
From another: “The only time I hear people talking about going to a casino is for someone’s 21st birthday.”
I told the student that as someone who started teaching just prior to the poker boom in the early 2000s, I saw firsthand how that game transformed campus culture and led many students to venture to casinos. At one time, it was common for me to see some of my students at the various Atlantic City poker rooms.
Only one student interviewed for this project currently plays poker. He is part of a fraternity and carries a table and case of chips around at all times trying to spark up a game. He said the interest is lukewarm and not many students actually know the rules of Texas Hold’em.
This aforementioned student was the only one interviewed who knew the name Chris Moneymaker.
From the betting action standpoint, poker has been replaced by fantasy sports and wagering on sports.
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Since betting on sports was primarily driven by the fun and social elements of college life, most of those interviewed were unsure how much they will continue to bet once they graduate.
A few of them indicated that they planned to keep betting on games and assumed their unit size would also grow based on their income. The finance major previously expressed an interest in possibly becoming a professional sports bettor based on his mathematical proficiency. Prior to the repeal of PASPA, that was never a career choice I heard from students.
A common theme of the response to this question was encapsulated by one student, who said, “I probably will keep doing it because it is fun. It would probably keep our text chains going.”
