A descriptive study of attitudes toward and incidence of gambling among college athletes

The purpose of this research was to study attitudes toward gambling and the incidence of problem and pathological gambling among college athletes at three Midwest universities. The Gambling Attitude Scale (GAS) was used to survey college athlete's attitudes toward gambling in general and toward four modes of gambling (casinos, betting on horse races, lottery and the Internet). The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) was used to identify the incidence of gambling behavior including problem or pathological gambling. A profile of college athletes' gambling attitudes and behavior was developed through the data obtained from each of these instruments.; The profile of the at-risk college athlete, according to the results of this study, is a male athlete who gambles frequently, has family and/or friends with perceived gambling problems, is non-white, is older, started gambling younger, prefers games of skill, and holds positive attitudes toward gambling in general or Internet gambling. Information about the college athlete who is at risk for gambling-related problems, showing results in aggregate and without identifying individuals, was presented in focused group discussions at each of the three universities to athletic program directors and counseling staff from the university's student health offices. Focused group discussions recommended education to prevent deleterious gambling behavior and counseling for students experiencing gambling-related problems.