After a semester marked with incidents of illegal gambling among college athletes across the nation, a report released yesterday confirms what many have feared: the number of athletes who gamble is higher than previously thought.
The report, conducted and funded by the Michigan Athletic Department, states that 72 percent of student athletes who answered the survey have gambled in some way since entering college. More specifically, 45 percent of male athlete respondents gamble on sports, the report states.
The term gambling can include anything from playing cards for money to betting on horses or dogs to taking money for purposely losing a game, the report states.
One seemingly low statistic is of great concern to the study's authors, Mike Cross and Ann Vollano, assistant directors for compliance in the Athletic Department.
They found that more than 5 percent of male student athlete respondents have provided inside information for gambling purposes, bet on a game in which they participated or accepted money for performing poorly in a game.
"Five percent might not sound like a lot, but to me, that statistic should be zero," Vollano said. NCAA rules strictly prohibit gambling on sports for which the NCAA sponsors a championship.
Although many of the gambling practices covered in the report are legal in the United States, gambling has proven to be an addictive practice for some people, Cross said.
"Society has gotten to be so accepting of gambling," he said. "Gambling is like alcoholism or drug use - you don't know you have a problem until you try it the first time."
With nearly 80 percent of male college athletes trying it, Cross said he feels there is something to be concerned about.
Track and Field team member Joshua Sellers, an LSA sophomore, said he doesn't think the athletes he knows participate in gambling.
"With the exception of going to the casino over the holidays, people really don't have time," he said.
Sellers also said higher profile sports like football and basketball might find the issue of gambling more problematic.
"I would guess with the revenue that's involved with those sports that they would be more likely to attract gamblers," he said.
While the study does not offer information on non-athlete gambling practices, Cross and Vollano said they feel athletes are especially susceptible to the temptation of gambling.
Athletes are part of a "population who think they are invincible, are very competitive and like risky behavior," Cross said. "It's certainly an experimental time as well."
The study's findings on gambling among female student athletes indicated lesser involvement than their male counterparts, but people should not discount these lower statistics, Vollano said.
Women's sports are "starting to get the media exposure male sports have had for a long time," she said. "It would be interesting five years from now to re-survey female athletes to see what has happened. This is the first survey done that included female gambling."
Mike Stevenson, senior associate athletic director, said the pervasive occurrence of gambling among athletes surprised him.
"It is absolutely a serious problem for intercollegiate athletes," he said. "Billions of dollars will probably be bet on the Super Bowl. This is something that is deeply ingrained in our culture."
Although the report was meant to indicate the frequency of gambling throughout the nation, Stevenson said the University community should not overlook the results.
"It would be naive to think it couldn't happen here," he said.
The report collected data from members of the football and men's and women's basketball teams at all Division I-A schools in the NCAA. In all, 3,000 students from 182 institutions were asked to participate. The survey's response rate was 25.3 percent.
o 72 percent of student athletes have gambled in some way since entering college
o 45 percent of male student athletes have gambled on sports
o More than 5 percent of male student athletes have provided inside information for gambling purposes, bet on a game in which they participated or accepted money for performing poorly in a game
o Student athletes who gambled on sports with bookmakers gamble an average of $225 per month
01-12-99
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