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Study: Risky gambling touches 5% of college football players
By Malcolm Moran, USA TODAY
CHICAGO — Nearly 5% of Division I college football players surveyed by the NCAA admitted to gambling-related behavior that could place their futures in jeopardy and their sport in a crisis.
According to the study, the most comprehensive in NCAA history, 102 football players — 4.8% of those surveyed — answered yes to one of five possibilities:
• They had taken money for playing poorly.
• They knew of a teammate who had taken money.
• They had been threatened or harmed because of sports betting.
• They had been asked to share inside information.
• They had provided information about a game.
A total of 17 basketball players, or 4.4% of those surveyed, listed at least one of those five behaviors.
The NCAA is aiming to use the results of this survey, which showed that almost 35% of male athletes took part in some type of sports wagering, to direct more of its resources at the issue without another crisis driving the effort. NCAA rules forbid gambling on college and pro sports.
Since the 1993-94 college basketball season, gambling scandals at Arizona State, Boston College and Northwestern have threatened the credibility of football and basketball programs.
"I do not now see evidence that the integrity of the game has been irrevocably compromised," NCAA President Myles Brand said. "But the risk is real."
Brand announced the formation of a 26-member task force on sports wagering, chaired by the Rev. Edward A. Malloy of Notre Dame. It is scheduled to propose actions in time for the association's national convention in January.
The survey, which focused on many kinds of wagering from buying lottery tickets to playing slot machines, included nearly 21,000 NCAA athletes. It is the largest survey of its kind in NCAA history. About 360,000 student-athletes compete in the NCAA.
Based on survey results, 27.5% have taken part in football pools or have bet with a bookie, in violation of NCAA rules. Responses determined that gambling was far more prevalent among men than women.
Betting on any sporting event was more common among male athletes in Division III schools, which don't offer sports scholarships, than in the big-time Division I programs — 41% vs. 29%.
"If the sport loses integrity, then everything becomes professional wrestling," Malloy said, "with a predetermined outcome and with, I believe, a huge diminishment of interest."
By Malcolm Moran, USA TODAY
CHICAGO — Nearly 5% of Division I college football players surveyed by the NCAA admitted to gambling-related behavior that could place their futures in jeopardy and their sport in a crisis.
According to the study, the most comprehensive in NCAA history, 102 football players — 4.8% of those surveyed — answered yes to one of five possibilities:
• They had taken money for playing poorly.
• They knew of a teammate who had taken money.
• They had been threatened or harmed because of sports betting.
• They had been asked to share inside information.
• They had provided information about a game.
A total of 17 basketball players, or 4.4% of those surveyed, listed at least one of those five behaviors.
The NCAA is aiming to use the results of this survey, which showed that almost 35% of male athletes took part in some type of sports wagering, to direct more of its resources at the issue without another crisis driving the effort. NCAA rules forbid gambling on college and pro sports.
Since the 1993-94 college basketball season, gambling scandals at Arizona State, Boston College and Northwestern have threatened the credibility of football and basketball programs.
"I do not now see evidence that the integrity of the game has been irrevocably compromised," NCAA President Myles Brand said. "But the risk is real."
Brand announced the formation of a 26-member task force on sports wagering, chaired by the Rev. Edward A. Malloy of Notre Dame. It is scheduled to propose actions in time for the association's national convention in January.
The survey, which focused on many kinds of wagering from buying lottery tickets to playing slot machines, included nearly 21,000 NCAA athletes. It is the largest survey of its kind in NCAA history. About 360,000 student-athletes compete in the NCAA.
Based on survey results, 27.5% have taken part in football pools or have bet with a bookie, in violation of NCAA rules. Responses determined that gambling was far more prevalent among men than women.
Betting on any sporting event was more common among male athletes in Division III schools, which don't offer sports scholarships, than in the big-time Division I programs — 41% vs. 29%.
"If the sport loses integrity, then everything becomes professional wrestling," Malloy said, "with a predetermined outcome and with, I believe, a huge diminishment of interest."