College Football Betting: Problem Signs To Look For
College football betting addiction is a serious issue that can have significant impacts on an individual's life. Recognizing the signs early can help prevent long-term damage.
Around 30-40% of online bettors experience problems, with younger gamblers the most susceptible to developing issues. With online sports betting sanctioned by over 30 states, the start of the college football season is an especially risky time for American students.
Despite the legal age of online sports betting being 21 in nearly every state that sanctions sports gambling, the NCAA found that nearly 20% of teenagers (underage players) have experienced problems betting on sports. Like access to alcohol, many underage college students have access to online sports betting apps through friends or family.
According to the NCAA, more than half of underage students reported betting on sports.
The high number of underage sports bettors prompted Teneessee, one of the more than 30 online sports betting states, to warn its residents ahead of the 2024 CFB season that helping a minor bet on sports could result in 30 days in jail. Other states have similar laws on the books.
This article will cover the key indicators to look for to determine if a college student may have or be developing a gambling problem.
How to Spot a Potential College Football Gambling Problem
A gambling addiction can take years to fully develop, but signs of a developing problem can be present from the onset of betting. There are some things to look for in yourself or someone you know who is betting on college football games.
Behavioral & Emotional Signs
Betting Preoccupation: Constantly thinking or talking about college football betting, even when not actively involved, including obsessively checking a mobile device for notifications and wager outcomes.
Chasing Losses: Betting in an attempt to recover previous losses, often leading to larger college football bets and more significant losses.
Betting Beyond Means: Spending more money on bets than one can afford.
Neglecting Responsibilities: Ignoring personal, academic, or work obligations due to college football betting.
Secrecy & Deception: Hiding betting from friends, family, or significant others, or lying about the extent of betting.
Mood Swings: Experiencing extreme highs during wins and deep lows during losses, leading to overall emotional instability.
Irritability & Anxiety: Becoming easily frustrated or anxious when unable to place a college football bet or thinking about past bets.
Guilt & Shame: Feeling guilty about the amount of money spent or the negative consequences of betting but continuing to do so.
Social & Financial Signs
Isolation: Withdrawing from social activities or relationships to focus on betting.
Conflict: Frequent arguments with loved ones over time or money spent on betting.
Loss of Interest: Losing interest in hobbies, sports, or activities that were previously enjoyable, with college football betting taking priority.
Borrowing Money: Frequently borrowing money to cover college football bets, bills, or other expenses due to losses.
Unpaid Debts: Accumulating significant debts due to losses, including credit card debt, unpaid loans, or bills.
Selling Possessions: Selling personal belongings or valuables in order to bet.
Psychological Dependence
Compulsive Behavior: Feeling an uncontrollable urge to place bets, even when recognizing the negative consequences.
Loss of Control: Inability to reduce or stop betting, despite repeated attempts.
Denial: Refusing to acknowledge that betting has become a problem and that gambling isn’t a skill-based game, even when faced with evidence.
Daily Life Impact
Academic or Work Performance: Declining grades or job performance due to time and energy spent on betting or researching college football bets.
Relationship Strain: Damaged relationships with family, friends, classmates, or romantic partners due to betting and preoccupation with gambling
Health Issues: Physical or mental health problems, such as stress, insomnia, or depression, stemming from betting-related worries.
Harassing Athletes
This topic could fall into one of the aforementioned categories, but we thought it could use more explanation because athlete harassment has become such a big topic for the NCAA.
The NCAA has pushed for a nationwide prohibition on college props bets because these bets can create a particularly volatile situation for student-athletes.
People with a gambling problem often say extremely negative things about the teams or athletes they bet on. Sometimes these feelings become real-life lashouts against athletes.
Threats and other abuse towards student-athletes are becoming more common on social media, whether in a public post or in a private message. Sometimes these messages rise to the point of being referred to the police. Sometimes the abuse happens at the sporting event in real time, and security staff on site may need to get involved.
An extreme negative emotional reaction to losing a bet is often a sign of a problem.
How widespread is student-athlete abuse due to gambling? Let’s look at what the NCAA found.
One in 3 high-profile athletes receive abusive messages from someone with a betting interest.
90% of harassment is generated online or through social media.
In sports with high volumes of betting, such as college football, 15%-25% of all abuse surrounding that competition is betting related.
Women's basketball student-athletes received approximately three times more threats than men's basketball student-athletes.
“Student-athletes are not the only group experiencing these threats and abuse,” the NCAA said. “Game officials, administrators and other athletics employees have been harassed related to their respective involvement in competitions.”
This growing problem has prompted at least one state to consider a law that would allow for banning sports bettors who issue threats to student-athletes.
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