Some at the legislature are betting that Minnesota will join 38 other states and legalize sports betting during this legislative session. It is especially troubling since Minnesota is one of only a handful of states that allows 18-year-olds to gamble.
A recent report from the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling shows that “about two-thirds of college students who live on campus are actually betting on sports now” and that “as many as 20 percent of students use their financial aid on betting” – money that should be funding their education.
Additional research shows that “only about 25 percent of colleges and universities have policies in place regarding gambling” meaning that many students have no place to turn to for help when they get in over their heads with easily accessible gambling on their mobile phones.
Finally, according to the NCAA, “58% of 18-22-year-olds have placed a sports bet in the past year, with more than 52% of them having lost over $50 on a single day.”
Perhaps our Minnesota colleges and universities could find time to weigh in on the regulations necessary to protect college students from the non-stop advertising from Draft Kings and other sports betting operations before the Minnesota legislature blindly joins the ranks of allowing 18-year-old students to turn their mobile phone into a mobile casino in the privacy of their dorm room.
