By Varun Shankar / The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism
When Tom McMillen discussed college sports and legalized gambling, he was straightforward about his concerns. He feared a game-fixing scandal would shake the confidence of fans across the country.
“I would say 99% of the sports-betting scandals that have occurred have been in the college market,” said McMillen, a former US congressman and basketball All-American at the University of Maryland.
Two of the most high-profile betting scandals in sports history have occurred at the college level. The Boston College basketball program was embroiled in a shaving controversy during the 1978-79 season. In the 1950-51 season, the City College of New York and at least six other schools were involved in a notorious incident where players were paid to throw games.
With legal betting now an option for most fans, “I think there is just that general fear that college kids can be exploited in this environment,” said McMillen, now CEO of LEAD1, an organization that represents the athletic directors and programs of the Football Bowl Subdivision. .
Sports fans generally welcome sports betting, according to a recent poll conducted by the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, in collaboration with the university’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement and The Washington Post.
However, a survey of 1,503 people found less support for betting on college sports compared to betting on professional sports. In the poll, 66% of respondents approved legalized betting on professional sports. Only 55% supported legal betting on college sports. The survey has a 3-point margin of error.
Ryan Ridgeway, a 30-year-old warehouse worker from Laurel, supports betting on progressional sports but is wary of college sports because of varying player finances.
“At the professional level, they have been paid millions of dollars, I feel like they will be less likely to throw games,” he said. “Because [college athletes aren’t] getting paid millions of dollars, they have more incentive to throw games.”
Richael Faithful, a consultant who lives in Washington, D.C., also expressed reservations.
“My concern is that betting will continue to influence how college officials and college regulatory bodies treat student athletes,” they said.
Thirty states and D.C. have passed legalized sports betting laws, and 18 have some level of restrictions on gambling on college sports. Virginia does not allow in-state betting on college sports. To place a bet on the University of Virginia or Virginia Tech requires crossing a state line into Maryland or West Virginia. In Maryland, wagering on college and pro sports is only permitted at retail stores, currently.
The ubiquity of mobile betting is the concern of gambling experts. Dr. Deborah Haskins, President of the Maryland Council on Problem Gambling said that being able to place bets on a cell phone lowers the barriers for gamblers, especially those prone to compulsive behavior.
“If they bet electronically, they can stay in the game longer,” he said. “You see more people experiencing negative harm from gambling because now they can literally stay in the game 24/7.
“Gambling beyond your economic means… you spend more and more beyond what your budget is,” he said, adding that gamblers who push sometimes resort to drastic measures like using mortgages and renting gambling money, “Haskins added.
In the Povich Center-CDCE-Post poll, concerns about sports gambling among young fans were evident. Sixty-eight percent of respondents supported a minimum betting age of 21, compared to only 32% who supported a minimum age of 18.
Twenty-four states set their minimum gambling age at 21, and six states and D.C.
In the poll, 20% of sports fans said they had bet on pro sports in the past five years compared to 17% of all respondents. Regarding college sports, only 11% of sports fans said they bet in the last 5 years, compared to 9% of all respondents.
