# Should Universities Encourage Gambling? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 21, 2022, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281 "2022-11-21T00:25:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/1 "2022-11-21T00:25:11Z")
Was curious about this article\*, which suggests eight US universities accepted millions from sports betting companies in return for promoting them among students. Is this article fair? Is it a reasonable way to help cover costs? > **[How Colleges and Sports-Betting Companies ‘Caesarized’ Campus Life](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/20/business/caesars-sports-betting-universities-colleges.html)** > > In order to reap millions of dollars in fees, universities are partnering with betting companies to introduce their students and sports fans to online gambling. \*Will summarize if there are the usual paywall complaints. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/2 "2022-11-21T00:36:54Z")
That is totally fucked up. Just my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/3 "2022-11-21T00:51:58Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > \*Will summarize if there are the usual paywall complaints. FYI, here is a [gift link](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/20/business/caesars-sports-betting-universities-colleges.html?unlocked_article_code=G-u0XwzfjTUPuK89bE-Zpd7b-44iKTcLMF7KGY33cZiWmRtgyf2owIiwvpV9t9tHxfOTq1m_YFlp9F9DTg6hUlWEdnIcCCMHTD9OVabyBg_-9wnPDC8pU482YSfnHq-A_-Sj0ERKRIok5bUH60Cw4vJPNrH0l0T06WTRmrwdDNf_gKnolhskO_M6fi_AyKyp2PfUpGTvTDQI8m3Y8V0j82JbZ6jZvijenXinYZA7AD8HWvxR90VzcPWKeY6NPKuVuBWs4YDkUP5EmNi_fO1I7qERM3QaChnj7Q3-coTKce5qrmMdO3SHEeOZ1-GYXf0yR7vUbRwtJYfcuS3uFYxeF0PygoK9I-q3eOdr8dzaaXBmriUfEg&smid=share-url) to the article. And I don’t think universities should be accepting money from these companies. And in some cases described, the school gets more money for each person who downloads the apps and places bets, which seems a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/4 "2022-11-21T07:54:43Z")
No one should encourage gambling. Gambling is a vice that brings impoverishment on many. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/5 "2022-11-21T08:11:53Z")
What the fuck is up with American universities? $30,000 a year in tuitions, and they’re still trying to grift off of students? ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/6 "2022-11-21T13:44:51Z")
We should expect much much better from the nation’s leading academic institutions. Sports betting by college students has already been problematic for decades. While I enjoy betting modestly on sports myself, in no way should it be promoted by a university to one of the least disciplined demographics we have. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/7 "2022-11-21T14:13:47Z")
Universities seem to be increasingly engaging in a la carte activities designed to enhance revenue at the expense of their students. Just another – arguably ON-topic – example: > **[CFPB Report Finds High Fees Charged on Student Banking Products Endorsed by...](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-report-finds-high-fees-on-student-banking-products-endorsed-by-colleges/)** > > Some financial institutions and colleges may be steering students to more expensive financial products. > **Washington, D.C.** – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published a report on terms and fees associated with banking products marketed in partnership with colleges to students. The report raises questions about whether some marketing deals between colleges and financial institutions comply with Department of Education rules. But this is America, and what’s more American than doing everything possible to start these kids off to an adulthood saddled by as much debt as is metaphysically possible? ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/8 "2022-11-21T14:55:51Z")
Thanks for posting. I’m a bit of a zealot when it comes to gambling. I find the idea that universities in the US can be _incentivized_ to start their students gambling just horrifying. I don’t want to sidetrack this thread away from its initial focus by broadening things out. But if the debate does broaden, I may come back with some stats. j ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/9 "2022-11-21T15:00:36Z")
Sports gambling, especially, is becoming a plague. It’s going to cause significant additional human damage, and will cause several devastating scandals in major sports. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/10 "2022-11-21T15:04:30Z")
They shouldn’t encourage drinking either and binge drinking among underage college students is probably a much worse problem yet billions in alcohol ads have been accepted for decades. All legal vices are fair game. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/11 "2022-11-21T15:38:27Z")
College math prof here, concur entirely with this disapproval. I know of undergraduates who damn near ruined their lives in the online poker boom a decadeish ago, and sports betting isn’t any better. There are plenty of legal adult activities that a reputable higher education institution should nonetheless discourage its students from engaging in. E.g., excessive drinking, expressing sexist/racist/homophobic/etc. attitudes, and flaunting wealth, to name but a few. Gambling of any kind should definitely be among those officially disapproved behaviors. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/12 "2022-11-21T16:07:47Z")
Why not just have the chemistry department crank out methamphetamine? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/13 "2022-11-21T16:26:19Z")
Universities that enter into these deals to promote gambling by students are potentially risking major damage to their sports teams - at least, as long as the NCAA ban on gambling by student-athletes holds up (the Times article doesn’t mention whether university e-mails encouraging students to gamble are carefully sorted so as not to target athletes). In coming years it’s likely that rules will be relaxed to allow corporate logos on college and university team uniforms (it’s already done for teams playing in corporate-sponsored bowl games). If logo placement becomes as prominent as it is for pro soccer team uniforms, expect to see Caesar’s Sportsbook playing Barstool Sports for the NCAA football championship. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/14 "2022-11-21T16:38:08Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Why not just have the chemistry department crank out methamphetamine? Then you just end up with problems involving cartels and your DEA brother-in-law. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2022, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/15 "2022-11-21T23:04:37Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > I know of undergraduates who damn near ruined their lives in the online poker boom a decadeish ago, and sports betting isn’t any better. I had a similar experience decades ago when charitable/Indian casino gambling started. This was back in checking days, ATMs were few and far between. I used to cash checks for regular customers and gambling put a stop to that. I got tired of bounced checks and going to court to try get my money back from people I had seen daily for years. I lost dozens of customers from each store I owned. Seriously, I had people that were bouncing checks so they could play bingo! > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Then you just end up with problems involving cartels and your DEA brother-in-law. I never did like my BIL, the bald headed bastard. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/16 "2022-11-22T03:03:26Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > I know of undergraduates who damn near ruined their lives in the online poker boom a decadeish ago, and sports betting isn’t any better. I watched a very promising, smart young guy drop out of college and ruin his life because he started playing poker and unfortunately had very good luck in the beginning. That hooked him, and he decided to turn ‘pro’. Eventually he lost his bankroll and took a job driving cab. Then he lied to his parents and said he was buying a house, and used the downpayment they gave him as his bankroll - and lost that too. He then went up north to the oil rigs because he heard the games were soft. He vanished up there, and never came home. Years later, no one still knew what happened to him. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/17 "2022-11-22T03:33:04Z")
I don’t think we’ve gotten a clear answer to the thread title’s question, so here’s a poll: **Should Universities Encourage Gambling?** _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/17))_ ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/18 "2022-11-22T13:40:14Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Eventually he lost his bankroll and took a job driving cab. Then he lied to his parents and said he was buying a house, and used the downpayment they gave him as his bankroll - and lost that too. He then went up north to the oil rigs because he heard the games were soft. He vanished up there, and never came home. Years later, no one still knew what happened to him. Once a person gets addicted to gambling there are three possible outcomes: 1. They go into Gamblers Anonymous 2. They destroy their personal finances, and then go in to Gamblers Anonymous 3. They just destroy their entire lives ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/19 "2022-11-22T14:53:36Z")
I used to work for an online gambling company - yes, I have no shame. It is one of the most fun areas for a software engineer to work - everyone is testing your security and everyone is trying to get ahead of the competition. So a great place, aside from the very boring “test the gambling” part. We had a guy in the early 2010s who blew US$10 million on just my smallish casino. Ten fucking million. He tried to sue us claiming we took advantage of his addiction, but casinos don’t work like that. Our “head office” was nominally on the Isle of Man, but once you filter through all the myriad holding companies and shells, you get to a fairly normal business in South Africa or Israel (or, technically both, nepotism is rife) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2022, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281/20 "2022-11-22T14:59:24Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > We had a guy in the early 2010s who blew US$10 million on just my smallish casino. Ten fucking million. I knew a guy who blew $100,000 on scratch tickets and thought that was a rough example. He got help, though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-universities-encourage-gambling/975281.md?page=2)