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A House Education and Workforce subcommittee examined sports gambling on college campuses Wednesday, with testimony about harassment of student-athletes and pressure to manipulate individual performances. According to NewsNation, lawmakers also discussed student gambling risks as Congress weighs the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act.
Player props put athlete harassment in focus
Dr. Daniel Durkin, an associate professor of social work at Ole Miss, described threats directed at student-athletes over prop bets, which tie wagers to individual player performances.
“What you read is scary … these are young people experiencing harassment and threats. Athletes are getting Venmo requests when someone loses a bet, all sorts of threats,” Durkin said.
Durkin also described the possibility that a friend or roommate facing gambling trouble could ask an athlete to miss a free throw or two rather than throw an entire game. He said that pressure raises integrity concerns and can create future problems for student-athletes.
“Athletes don’t need to be dealing with this, particularly young people,” he said.
Student gambling data accompanies legislative debate
Subcommittee Vice Chair Rep. Michael Baumgartner cited a 2023 NCAA-commissioned survey showing that 67% of on-campus students had bet on sports and 16% demonstrated problem gambling behaviors.
He also cited an Inside Higher Ed survey released in October. It found that 31% of male students and 25% of female students knew someone who had experienced financial distress or academic fallout from online wagering losses.
Baumgartner criticized the pace of state legalization, saying access to sports gambling had placed “miniature casinos” in Americans’ palms.
The hearing comes as the NCAA faces pressure over gambling-related scandals, athlete harassment and wagers tied to individual performances. The Protect College Sports Act passed the Senate in September and faces an uncertain future in the House, NewsNation reported.
More from playmissouri.com
- New Missouri Senate Leader Lists Video Lottery Legislation Among Priorities
- Missouri Regulators Reject NCAA Plea to Limit College Sports Wagering Markets
- Missouri Seeks Public Comment After NCAA Calls for End to Prop Bets
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Source: As reported by NewsNation.
This article was created with the assistance of AI and is monitored by our editorial team.
