JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – A new study reveals your college students may be facing a challenge that isn’t on your radar.
“We’ve done a really good job in the public health and higher ed communities about addressing some of the more pressing issues among students – which tend to be mental health and then alcohol, drug use, and other substance use,” said Hannah Allen, Executive Director of the William Magee Institute for Student Wellbeing at the University of Mississippi.
However, not as much attention goes to gambling addictions.
Allen was a member on the Ole Miss team of researchers who found that gambling is more prevalent than you may realize across Mississippi’s college campuses.
The study shows 39% of students gambled in a variety of formats in the past year.
“Students are facing real consequences,” Allen added. “So, those are both financial consequences, but also consequences related to decreased academic success and also some mental health issues as well. We need to address that in similar ways that we’ve addressed other pressing health and social issues among our students.”
Researchers were surprised by one finding.
Students were playing the lottery and betting on cards slightly more than sports.
The majority of students who admitted to sports betting said they do so online, despite sports betting currently being illegal in the Magnolia State if not on casino premises.
Allen said the new accessibility of gambling creates additional challenges.
“We’re seeing that these technologies of how students are able to gamble are built to make them gamble more and to incentivize them to continue to gamble as they’re inside these apps and websites,” Allen explained. “And we’re also seeing that they’re really inundated with a lot of advertising.”
There was a certain group that is noted to be gambling more than others.
“Those that are involved in some sort of sports, those that are involved in Greek life, and then our male students, as well,” she said.
There’s an expectation that lawmakers will again debate whether or not to legalize mobile sports betting in the 2026 legislative session.
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