- March Madness betting hits $2.72 billion, with more illegal bets expected
- Legal betting growth post-2018 raises addiction, harassment concerns
- NCAA, states address betting issues, but campus betting persists
March Madness is renowned for its unpredictable nature; however, one prediction appears to be secure as the tournament commences: more money than ever before will be staked on it. However, as the stakes rise, so do the associated risks, and student-athletes are increasingly subjected to threats and mistreatment.
The estimated legitimate wagering by Americans on the men’s and women’s March Madness events this year is $2.72 billion, according to the American Gaming Association, a trade organization. This represents a negligible portion of the probable overall sum, as billions more are anticipated to be wagered via unauthorized channels, including bracket pools.
The collegiate basketball tournament is the most anticipated annual sports wagering bonanza in the United States, with a potential payout of double the amount lawfully wagered on the Super Bowl this year.
Before 2018, sports betting was essentially unlawful outside of Nevada. However, as of 2018, it has been legalized in 38 states and the District of Columbia. The legal sector is experiencing remarkable growth as it adopts mobile technology and forms partnerships with major leagues and media companies. In 2023, it processed $120 billion in wagers, an increase of 28% from the previous year, and generated $11 billion in revenue, a 45% increase. However, it is important to note that legal gambling remains prohibited in the two most populous states, California and Texas.
Legalized sports wagering was introduced in North Carolina, a mecca for collegiate basketball, in time to coincide with the commencement of March Madness. The event culminates on April 8 in Glendale, Arizona, for the men’s championship game and the same day in Cleveland for the women’s final.
Although there is substantial evidence supporting the notion that legalized betting increases the likelihood of addiction, it can also place unwelcome additional pressure on instructors and athletes. Proximity to the January implementation of legalized sports wagering in Ohio, Anthony Grant, the esteemed head basketball coach at the University of Dayton, denounced individuals engaged in online harassment targeting his players after unsuccessful wagers.
“Some recently enacted laws have the potential to significantly alter the nature of collegiate athletics,” he told reporters. “It disgusts me when individuals begin to focus on themselves and attack children for no apparent reason; such behavior serves no purpose.”
The NCAA, the primary governing body of collegiate athletics, is alarmed. “According to recent data, approximately one in every three prominent athletes receives abusive messages from an individual with a betting interest,” wrote campus leaders in a letter to the NCAA president, Charlie Baker, this month. “According to the data, ninety percent of this harassment originates online or via social media; the remaining ten percent occurs in person, with some instances originating from fellow students on campus”
He added that officials, instructors, and other personnel associated with athletics are also targets. According to an NCAA spokesperson, more publicized events tend to garner greater harassment, and March Madness stands out as the most prominent among all college sporting events.
“Our athletes are already subjected to tremendous pressures and strains, which merely adds to the burdens our students are already bearing.” “People can fill your direct messages with hate; it’s an entirely new world,” says Jason W. Osborne, an Institute for Responsible Gaming member at Miami University in Ohio and a professor at the institution. “Institutionally, we must do considerably more to protect.” Although numerous institutions strive to address this issue proactively, the environment is extremely dynamic.”
The NCAA and universities invest in research, education, and support about the issues that wagering raises. However, gamblers are now less motivated to control their emotions, given that sports wagering is no longer considered illicit. “The normalization and legalization of these harassing behaviors appear to have contributed to their increase,” says Amanda Blackford, director of operations and responsible wagering for the Ohio Casino Control Commission.
Ohio, the host to several prominent sports organizations, has established itself as a highly significant wagering market in the United States. The previous year, the state received legal wagers on sports totaling over $7.6 billion, most of which were submitted via mobile and other online devices. This generated approximately $135 million in tax revenue for the state.
Ohio promptly responded to the type of harassment emphasized by Grant by enacting legislation in 2023 that aims to streamline the process of preventing gamblers from coercing athletes into placing wagers within the state. Despite opposition from certain gaming operators, the organization consented to the NCAA’s request to ban “prop” wagers on college athletes’ performances, such as the number of points a basketball player could score in a game, last month. Vermont and Maryland have recently prohibited prop bets on college athletes.
In response to the backlash, efforts by betting giants to access universities via sports sponsorships stalled. However, wagering has become increasingly pervasive within campus communities. Two-thirds of 18- to 22-year-olds residing on campus are “bettors,” according to a 2023 NCAA survey. Additionally, 41% of these students have placed bets on their school’s teams, and problem gambling is widespread, with “16% having engaged in at least one risky behavior and 6% reporting that they have previously lost more than $500 on sports betting in a single day.” Young individuals are particularly susceptible to developing a wagering addiction due to the immaturity of their decision-making capabilities.
The state legislature is debating a bill that would mandate universities in Maryland to implement geofencing technology to prevent online wagering from occurring on campus. “We consider it a significant matter,” states representative Pam Queen, sponsoring the legislation. Additionally, she teaches at Morgan State University in Baltimore. “There is considerable gambling, and younger generations are becoming increasingly interested in online betting,” she further states. “These individuals are not students who frequent casinos; rather, they are engaged in activities through their mobile devices.”
The extensive engagement in athletics exacerbates the workload of student-athletes. Blackford states, “At the collegiate level, one is surrounded by peers placing bets on one’s performance.” The author provides the instance of a pupil who demanded payment from a friend who performed poorly, stating, “You cost me this bet; you owe me now.”
Disclosing news snippets by a participant to a classmate can be extremely valuable. “As an athlete, you can simply state informally, ‘My friend is on the injured reserve.'” “Because that is merely a portion of your existence,” says Osborne. “However, in gaming, that information may constitute insider knowledge.” That information can potentially distort the odds; possessing it could grant an advantage and land individuals in legal trouble.
A criminal charge was brought against over a dozen individuals affiliated with Iowa State and Iowa universities last year for unlawfully placing bets, including doing so while underage and on games they participated in. Former University of Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon was sanctioned by the NCAA last month for allegedly texting a gambler confidential information about an injured starting pitcher. The gambler then reportedly attempted to wager $100,000 on an Alabama game but was limited to $15,000.
US Integrity, a Nevada-based monitoring organization that collaborates with a multitude of organizations, gambling operators, and regulators, detected this dubious endeavor. Additionally, it documented atypical fluctuations in the point spread of a basketball match played by Temple University earlier this month, which is currently the subject of investigation. Also this month, Loyola University Maryland announced that a player with a “gambling violation” had been withdrawn from the institution’s basketball program.
“One-on-one sports are always the most vulnerable: boxing, tennis, and mixed martial arts,” says Matt Holt, president and founder of US Integrity. In contrast to team sports such as football, soccer, and baseball, basketball has a comparatively smaller participant requirement. Furthermore, the sport’s high-scoring characteristics render it particularly vulnerable to point shaving. “About team sports, I believe that college and professional basketball, particularly in North America, is the most precarious,” says Holt. “You can rely on the starting point guard and primary scorer to secure your victory.”
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However, Holt posits that the temptation to manipulate matches has been diminished since 2021 when collegiate athletes will be able to monetize their name, image, and likeness. “With collegiate athletes now earning seven figures, I believe the gap between them and their professional counterparts has significantly narrowed.” “After that, we no longer discuss men who can barely afford a weekend pizza,” he says.
An excess of enthusiastic supporters, the certainty of unexpected outcomes, and the substantial volume of wagers on March Madness collectively contribute to an influx of gamblers seeking to release their frustrations. Holt contends that, at the very least, the tournament’s significance reduces the likelihood of match-fixing: an excessive number of individuals focus on it. “They usually believe they can get away with it during regular-season games when fewer eyes are watching,” he explains.
“Persuading an individual to underperform in a March Madness game becomes more challenging when they have spent their entire life anticipating this momentous occasion where they have the potential to create history.” “They will be considerably simpler to persuade to manipulate a regular-season game with a much smaller impact.”
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