BU researcher tells MGC pilot data show gendered college betting risks and underage online wagering

On May 7, 2026, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission heard preliminary findings from the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) about college-student gambling drawn from pilot questions added to the Healthy Minds Survey.

Dr. Chris Lewis, principal investigator of the BU project, said the 2024–25 pilot included three gambling questions asked at eight Massachusetts institutions and that, after cleaning, roughly 4,000 Massachusetts responses remained for analysis. "We had about 25,000 usable responses nationally and almost 4,000 from Massachusetts," he said, noting the national sample was substantially larger.

BU framed the research as part of a broader six‑aim study funded by the Commission that will examine social impacts, advertising exposure and economic outcomes of casino gaming and sports wagering in the Commonwealth. The pilot results were offered as an early look ahead of expanded questioning planned for 2026–27.

The pilot produced two headline patterns, Lewis said. First, betting risk showed clear gender differences: among respondents who used online sportsbook apps, female bettors were more likely to show links to present-day strain — for example, campus disconnection, part-time enrollment and recent mental‑health problems — while male bettors were more associated with earlier-life financial stress. "Among females there's almost a 300% higher odds of binge drinking for those that sports bet; in males it's almost 200%," Lewis said as an illustrative effect-size from the analyses.

Second, BU found that students who use sportsbook apps appear to be a higher‑risk subgroup overall. Lewis reported elevated odds for substance use and indicators that bettors who use apps report more difficulty setting limits: "Among males, a 361% higher odds of feeling betting can control your life," he said, adding that cigarette and vaping use were correlated with difficulty limiting gambling.

The presentation also flagged underage online wagering. Lewis cautioned about cross‑state sampling — students who attend a Massachusetts college may have gambled in neighboring states where minimum ages differ — but still reported that among respondents who said they used online sportsbook apps, "one out of three" nationally and about "one out of four" in Massachusetts were under 21. He emphasized this is not the headline BU wants to push from the pilot because the subgroup is smaller and legal age varies by state.

Commissioners used the question-and-answer period to press BU on sampling and future measurement. Paul Brodeur asked how the eight colleges were chosen; Lewis said participation was voluntary and schools opt in to the Healthy Minds Survey. Commissioners requested and received confirmation that the next survey wave will add questions on the age at first bet, proxy betting (using someone else’s account), prediction markets and more granular modality questions (e.g., DraftKings, FanDuel, sweepstakes, loot boxes).

Concerning enforcement or economic quantification, Lewis said BU will analyze county-level economic impacts as part of later aims but declined to attach numerical estimates of industry-wide negative dollar impacts at this stage. He said a separate statewide resident survey (Aim 1) of about 6,000 Massachusetts adults is expected to launch by the end of the month, with preliminary results delivered to the Commission roughly 10 weeks later.

Why this matters: the BU pilot suggests sportsbook-app users among college students have concentrated behavioral vulnerabilities and that underage online sports wagering occurs at measurable rates in the sample. The BU team and commissioners repeatedly noted the pilot’s limitations and emphasized that the work is an early step in a multi-year research agenda.

BU will return with expanded analyses as additional data waves complete collection and as the commission’s larger resident survey yields results.