Michigan State cut down the net Monday as NCAA basketball champions. Meanwhile, losers of tournament pools across the country cut deeper into their checkbooks.
If you were one of the many participants who filled out a bracket for a tournament pool, the odds are not great that you were the victor — and you’re not alone.
“I won [the tournament pool] the last two years,” said senior Scott Hein, an exercise and movement science major. “But this year I wasn’t even close.”
Hein participated in a pool this year through a private group on ESPN.com, which charged him $10 to enter.
According to Behavioral Health Online, an Internet-based group that offers advice and support on medical issues, 55 percent of college students are casual or recreational gamblers.
Recent studies suggest even more student participation in betting. At least 80 percent of students on college campuses gamble on sporting events in some form, said Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling.
Despite the NCAA’s strict opposition to all forms of sports wagering, the FBI projected that $2.5 billion was illegally gambled on the college basketball championship in 1995.
“Sports wagering has the potential to undermine the integrity of sports contests and jeopardizes the welfare of student athletes and the intercollegiate athletics community,” the NCAA states in its literature.
Hein said that he only bets on March Madness for fun; he does not wager on any other sporting events.
“I don’t even enjoy gambling that much,” Hein said.
Gambling, however, can be addicting for many people. And some believe that wagering on the NCAA tournament through pools can lead to more serious consequences.
“You start out with these innocent pools, but it gets to be a lot more serious,” said Gary Gray, who is in charge of complying NCAA regulations for the University athletic department. “The Pac-10 is trying to better educate students about the problems with gambling.”
In coordination with the NCAA, Whyte and Behavioral Health Online are creating awareness about the dangers of gambling addiction. On Behavioral Health’s Web site — www.gobho.com — Whyte will moderate a chat room that will discuss ways to cope with the addiction. The discussion will be held today from 5 to 6 p.m.
Behavioral Health also provides information on gambling problems with advice from doctors as well as contacts for further help.
“Behavioral Health has a lot of good mental health credibility,” Whyte said.
Whyte’s organization also supports compulsive gamblers through a national hotline. The number is 1-800-522-4700.
“We just want to make sure that if people need help, they get it,” Whyte said. “It’s a serious issue that is very treatable. The most important thing is to take that first step: telling someone.”