Congress examines rise of sports betting on college campuses

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The rise of sports betting on college campuses took center stage on Capitol Hill Wednesday as lawmakers questioned what can be done to rein in students who are gambling at higher and higher rates.

What we know:

Sports betting has exploded in popularity in recent years, not just with teens, but with adults as well. Experts say the change from having to go to Las Vegas to gamble to having a mini casino at your fingertips has become increasingly problematic for college students.

"Young people today are gambling online, offline, legally, illegally, domestically and offshore," said Dr. Lindsey Mortenson, Chief Mental Health Officer at the University of Michigan. "Speed is a huge problem. The faster you can gamble, the faster small problems become big ones, and this combination of fast gambling and few guardrails is why we are on pace to create the largest generation of problem gamblers in U.S. history."

Sports betting is legal in 39 states. Before the Supreme Court’s landmark decision, Americans were wagering about $5 billion a year through regulated sportsbooks. In 2025, Americans wagered $167 billion, a nearly 3,000% spike in less than a decade.

On college campuses, 67% of students have bet on sports, according to a recent survey. Nearly 16% showed problem gambling behaviors like chasing losses or spending more money than they planned. Nearly 6% of students reported losing more than $500 in a single day, according to the survey.

According to Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-Washington), a survey found that 1 in 5 students have used financial aid to place bets.

University of Maryland Professor Paul Sacco specializes in gambling and addiction. He says the apps use powerful AI algorithms to lure people, especially young adults, into gambling more.

"The worst-case scenarios are really bad, and unlike alcohol and drug use, gambling is not self-limiting, so there's definitely many stories of people gambling their own wealth away, and then the wealth of their loved ones," Sacco said.

DraftKings, one of the biggest sportsbooks, has pushed back on claims that it uses AI to target problem gamblers.

There are several bipartisan bills on the Hill to help regulate student gambling and debt.

Congressman Ro Khanna from California called for an outright congressional ban on prediction markets.

NewsWashington, D.C.