Gambling in College Sports

Gambling has grown explosively in the college athletics arena, leading to quite a controversy. Those both for and against the gambling argue their cases with fervor, citing all kinds of “evidence” in support of their viewpoint. But the truth is that college sports and gambling is indeed a very complex topic, because the stakes are so high. Therefore, understanding college sports in relation to gambling requires a thorough review of the topic, and an understanding of both sides of the argument.
Gambling has become big business when it comes to college athletics. In fact, the money associated with college sports gambling has been a huge lure to organized crime and those involved in illegal sports wagering (Sports Wagering, 2003). “The FBI projected that 2.5 billion dollars was illegally gambled on the 1995 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, second only to the National Football League's Super-bowl” (Sports Wagering, 2003). Money that is skimmed from sports betting schemes is used to finance many different illegal activities, such as narcotics and loan sharking (Sports Wagering, 2003).
According to the NCAA, they...