The author of a new study from the University of Mississippi said student bettors “either don’t know or don’t care whether or not the practice is illegal,” according to a Monday Mississippi Today story. The study was released to the news outlet ahead of being published.
Of the 1,600 Ole Miss students surveyed, 60% of those who bet said they do it online and were doing it on “legal” platforms — even though digital wagering isn’t legal in Mississippi. The state was among the first to go live with sports betting in 2018 after the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was overturned, but wagering is limited to in-person on on-site mobile at the state’s retail casinos.
“Our students are showing similar patterns to those identified by the NCAA and seen nationally, including that legality doesn’t make a difference with college students,” Dan Durkin, an associate professor of social work, told Mississippi Today.
According to the study story, 32% of University of Mississippi betting students said they have asked friends or family to place bets for them. In addition, the study revealed that about 18% bet at casinos, 15% bet online using U.S. or Canadian platforms, and 15% bet with illegal bookmakers. Three of Mississippi’s border states — Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee — offer statewide digital wagering. Of the three, the Tennessee border is closest, about a 90-minute drive.
The survey revealed that 10% of those who gambled were at moderate risk for gambling addiction and 6% met the qualifications of problem gamblers. Of those surveyed, 39% indicated they had gambled in the last 12 months. How they gambled was about evenly distributed — 18% said they played the lottery, 17% said they played card games, and 16% said they had placed sports bets.
The most common demographic of a gambler at Ole Miss is a white male who lives off-campus and is involved in Greek life and sports, and has a high grade-point average.
States, AGs trying to quash illegal plaforms
The survey comes at a time during which state regulators have been cracking down on illegal gambling platforms. The Mississippi Gaming Commission in June sent out 10 cease-and-desist letters to offshore and sweepstakes platforms, while neighboring Louisiana sent out 40.
In addition, a group of 50 attorneys general signed and sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice on Aug. 5 calling for it to crack down illegal gambling sites.
Lawmakers in Mississippi have considered expanding sports betting to online, but efforts have repeatedly stalled in the legislature. It’s likely the issue will come up again in 2026, though it has not appeared on a priority-issue list for either legislative chamber.
In line with betting across the U.S., the survey showed that betting on the NFL (62%) and college football (53%) were the most popular kinds of wagering among the students surveyed, followed by wagering on college basketball (48%) and the NBA (46%).
There are no professional sports teams in Mississippi. The Rebels men’s basketball team advanced to the Sweet 16 in March before losing to Michigan State, while the 2024 Ole Miss football team finished the season 10-3 after beating Duke in the Gator Bowl.
