At the NCAA’s annual convention in Phoenix, panel discussions focus on the growing dangers of sports gambling and unveil a plan to protect athletes and bettors from potential abuse and addiction. (Photo by Jesse Brawders/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – Whether on the courts or on the fields, the limits are very clear in sport. But amid the evolving relationship between college athletics and sports betting, the NCAA is addressing the cost of the blurred lines that accompany that connection.
The growing abuse faced by athletes, coaches and officials on social media related to betting has put the NCAA on alert, an issue addressed this week at the organization’s convention in Phoenix. NCAA partners with data science company to identify threats.
“Basically, he tracks the ugly, mean stuff that’s coming at people … and he can stop it or block it,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said. “And in some cases, it’s even possible to know where it came from.”
Over the past five years, sports betting has become one of the most important revenue-generating media in the country. In 2022, gross gaming revenue in the United States was $60.42 billion, an increase of 13.9% from 2021, according to the American Gaming Association. Sports betting GGR also saw a massive increase, with a whopping 72.7% increase to $7.5 billion.
In Arizona alone, there are 17 sports betting operators accessible from a mobile device. Bet Arizona reported that this generated nearly $6 billion in bets processed in 2022 and $285 million in revenue.
In a study of ethical data science According to the company Signify Group, it has been reported that in 2022, one in four players in Grand Slam tennis tournaments have been victims of targeted verbal abuse from social media. The most common abuse was taunts about match-fixing (30%), with violent and racist remarks in 9% of messages.
College athletes face similar attacks, and a threat made against a team during a championship last year was so concerning that it led to police protection, Baker said.
Even though bettors can’t bet on a player’s individual performance in college sports, athletes still face hate and abuse online after a game. This has become more pronounced in recent years as the new generation of bettors and college athletes have grown up around social media and are more likely to post and view their platforms of choice.
This is a problem that belongs not just to social media companies, but also to the NCAA and potentially state and national governments.
Jonathan Hirshler, co-founder and CEO of Signify Group, stressed that the public should not wait for social media companies to improve their fight against hate. He later added that “we need to face reality” when it comes to accountability and be more proactive in exposing and stopping abuses.
The UK, where Hirschler is based, does not have a specific law on online abuse and harassment, but many of its previous laws include online communication. The most recent is the Communications Act 2003, which makes it an offense to send a message that is “grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or threatening character”.
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Hirshler floated the idea of tougher penalties for those found guilty of online abuse and harassment of athletes, including a ban on attending NCAA-sanctioned events involving the school and/or athletes. athletes involved.
He also said there isn’t enough support from universities for athletes who experience this type of online abuse.
The NCAA is set to launch its new plan to help combat this problem, while also bringing more education and awareness to sports betting through its new program.
In partnership with Kindbridge and the Signify Group, the NCAA is preparing to launch its new campaign to combat sports betting with its new “Draw the Line” initiative.
The campaign’s targeted launch is Selection Sunday for Men’s March Madness – the second largest betting on sporting events in the world, behind the Super Bowl. This campaign replaces the “Don’t Bet On It” campaign and will align with Problem Gambling Awareness Month.
Instead of simply trying to tell fans, students and staff to say “no” to gambling, the new campaign will prioritize education and reducing the harm that gambling can inflict on young people.
“Our goal is not to prevent gambling,” said Timothy W. Fong, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA and co-director of the school’s gambling studies program. “Our goal is to reduce, minimize and mitigate the harms of gambling.”
Fong emphasized during the harm prevention session that society has been playing since the dawn of time, simply by living. The main concept is not new, but the way sports betting has evolved with the help of social media is a culmination of factors that experts are continually learning about.
Perhaps the new factor that has had the most impact on this generation is the growing awareness of mental health, including the growing knowledge of how gaming can reveal – and sometimes create – mental illness.
Mental health issues can contribute to the development of a gambling addiction, Fong said. In recent years, it has been discovered that in some cases, players can develop new mental health issues during the addiction process.
Symptoms of gambling addiction can include suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, substance use disorders, lack of nutrition, and poor self-care. This culminates in what Fong calls “deadly emotional pain.”
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Fong noted that often when patients come to him and his team for treatment, it is too late and much personal damage has already occurred.
“The problem comes, by the time they come to see someone like me, the damage is really bad. We’re talking about an average of $50, $80, $100,000, years of distress, years of neglect, not being able to get a degree,” Fong said. “The key is to discuss it earlier for prevention.”
That’s where Teresa Fiore, vice president of partnerships for EPIC Global Solutions, comes in. In her current role, Fiore is partnering with Kindbridge Behavioral Health as a new resource for athletes to receive care from staff who have been on a similar journey.
Kindbridge is an online service that all students can seek out as a resource from a former gambler and athlete who can help those struggling with gambling addiction.
One of the new issues for groups like Kindbridge is that young people are being introduced to sports gambling at a younger age. This comes from a mix of early marketing on popular apps, as well as some colleges and student groups partnering with sportsbooks and giving away free products to lure them in before they reach legal age .
Despite the age limit – which is 18 or 21 depending on the state – more and more students gambled before even entering college, and even more experimented with betting before they were old enough. to play legally in states that allow sports betting.
As sports betting continues to grow with a new generation of potential bettors, social media has opened up a new avenue of problems not only for athletes but also for bettors interested in betting on college sports.
One of the most discussed topics during Wednesday’s session was how to combat abuse against players and coaches on social media and sports betting sites.
As sports betting continues to grow in popularity in the United States, the NCAA and its partners seek to further their ambitions to create a more aware and educated environment for their athletes.
When the 2024 men’s basketball Final Four arrives in Phoenix in April, the NCAA’s new campaign will be another step toward a safer playing field for athletes on the court and in sports betting.
