A comparison of gambling behaviours among sport-based and non-sport-based students in the UK
Abstract
Purpose
In recent years, gambling among university students has received significant focus as it may be viewed as an attractive and exciting form of income whilst studying. Given this, stakeholders in protection from gambling-related harm need to better understand student gambling behaviours. This understanding should include students on sports-based programmes given their closer connection to sporting events, and a heightened sense of competition among such often gendered cohorts. This study aims to provide greater insights into gambling behaviours among these cohorts.
Design/methodology/approach
The present pilot study comprised 210 university students on sports-based and non-sport-based programmes. Participants self-reported frequencies of gambling activity and expenditure via an online survey.
Findings
Results showed a significantly greater frequency of female student non-gamblers on non-sports-based degree programmes and a high frequency of male student gamblers on sports-based degree programmes (p = 0.02). Sports-based students also reported significantly higher scores on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) than non-sports students (p < 0.01). Finally, gambling expenditure (p < 0.01) and regularity (p < 0.01) were significantly lower among students studying non-sports degree programmes.
Originality/value
The findings of the present study provide evidence to warrant further investigation into gambling perceptions and behaviours among students on sports-based programmes, with a view to assessing the potential need for targeted awareness, tailored support and how both can most effectively be provided.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the reviewers and the participants who took part in the study.
Research funding: No funding was received for this study.
Ethics: This study received ethical approval from the university ethics committee.
Statements and declarations:
Competing interests. Authors: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Funding: The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work.
Employment: No competing interests to declare.
Financial interests: The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.
Citation
McGivern, P. and Mierzwinski, M. (2024), "A comparison of gambling behaviours among sport-based and non-sport-based students in the UK", Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-07-2024-0112
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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