College Sports Betting Ban
Sports Betting
Jun 18, 2000, 16:55
By M. Wilson Staff
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One of the reasons some congressmen have given for their support of a ban on all gambling on college sports, ridiculously, is that it would deter widespread betting by students. Oh, sure! I remember so well how my college buddies and I would slam all our dough into a game and sweat out the score, ... and then we'd go back to the dorm and eat our dinner of Kraft macaroni & cheese, at 25 cents a box. What widespread betting by students? Does anyone really believe this is a serious problem? Certainly the economy has improved the financial status of a lot of people so there are more students who are also flourishing, but if they are gambling, for instance, their next term's tuition away, then those ones were probably shaving points on their SATs anyway. No: I'm more convinced that certain lawmakers are jumping on a moral pretense bandwagon which does not serve the people in any substantial way. The casinos, whose business it is to know this stuff, cite statistics showing that their sportsbooks contribute in a relatively small way to their overall income compared to the slots and table games. However, college sports comprise up to about 40% of the sportsbook's revenue. Moreover, the casinos seem to agree that having a sportsbook section adds an important element to the clientele they attract, and wish to continue to attract: namely, men (and women) who enjoy sports. We're not speaking of underage or impoverished students.
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