By Emma Griffiths, Second Year, English Literature
Stories of that friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend winning - and losing - obscene amounts of money at the races have swirled through universities for years, but with the rise of online casinos taking betting to a whole new level, what does this mean for the pockets of students?
It's a common sight - an overly invested figure sunk over their pint in the corner of the pub, despondently checking their phone again as the clock nears 90 minutes and their 'almost guaranteed' £300 win vanishes - again. Betting has existed for years, both in casinos and match-side betting booths, and is a key part of the experience and revenue of watching sport. However, with the explosion of instantly accessible betting websites such as Betfred or Unibet, there has been a marked increase in gambling amongst young people, which begs the question: is a whole generation becoming addicted in £5 pledge increments?
Sports betting, especially online, has enjoyed a recent boom in access and popularity in recent years, ballooning to an estimated expected annual growth equivalent to $7.38 billion by 2029 according to Statista. Whilst this is a phenomenon that affects the whole UK population, with 48% of adults engaging in some form of gambling, young people are disproportionately affected, with 60% of students betting in 2023.
The role of betting whilst watching sports has become a key part of the social experience, as more and more people become invested in the results due to their pledges. 'It's fun" explains Ted, a first year student. "It gives me a reason to watch and support matches outside of just who's playing. It's just more exciting.' This change, which Dr Darragh McGee has dubbed the 'gamblification' of sport, means that the age-old activity of going to get a pint and watch the game has taken on a whole new significance - of getting that increased dopamine hit from putting your wallet on the line. This dopamine cycle of gambling, already addictive with the excitement that studies describe as a 'euphoric feeling comparable to those experienced by drug users,' is perpetuated by peer enticement. 34% of students who gamble are influenced by friends - in part through peer pressure, but also in the normalisation of the activity. 'Everyone does it - it's just part of watching sport with the boys now,' continues Ted. The new narrative of online gambling that it's 'just a fiver' is everywhere, from conversations between mates to bet365's promotions and bonus codes, and means that this incremental but cumulative expense is often overlooked by students, despite averaging a mind-blowing £32.25 a week - more than the price of many people's weekly food shop.
"Everyone does it - it's just part of watching sport with the boys now."
As well as the sums lost, there is another hidden cost: 'It has definitely changed how I watch sport - every time something happens, someone scores a goal, I'm itching to place a last-minute bet' Toby admits. And the list of subconscious effects that gambling has is far longer. Almost half of gambling students bet more than they can afford - a figure that is admittedly a pretty small margin for the majority of university students. However, this risk is symptomatic of the harms that regular gambling can have later in life - including on finances, relationships and both mental and physical health, as found by the Government's 2023 review. It is in this trajectory that the darker side of regular sports betting at a young age comes to light - creating a culture of betting and gambling as a normal, everyday experience from the dawn of adulthood.
Almost half of gambling students bet more than they can afford.
However, that is not to say that sports betting is a purely negative experience. Emily, a third year student, finds that 'It's fun to do every so often - the stress does add something to the experience,' and everyone seems to know someone who has managed to win big and beat the odds. In addition, there is another side to the industry - literally. The sports that provide the matches and games to be betted on benefit from this symbiotic relationship, through deals like bet365's recent sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League, or simply in physical bodies through the door with experience like Invades UK making horse racing and betting more easily accessible by students across the country. An anonymous source in horse-racing described betting as 'uphold[ing] every pillar of the sport...top to bottom and bottom up...racing would not be a sport without betting It is with these stakes (excuse the pun) that we see the other side of the sports betting world, facilitating a rich landscape of sports that would otherwise lose vital funding and spectator numbers that allow them to continue.
Overall, technology has undeniably put sports betting on the radar of young people in a way that has not been seen before - and it seems to be here to stay. Sports betting occupies a key - and not intrinsically malevolent - place within the sports industry, both for the spectators and the athletes which it supports. However, with its ascendance into the already deeply competitive sports culture of UK universities, sports betting presents young people with yet another addictive dopamine cycle to grapple with, as what was once contained to professional booths and glamorous casinos is now just a click - and a few credit card numbers - away. Wanna bet?
Featured image: Noah Silliman/ Unsplash
