By David Nicholas
After Tuesday night's first round or "play-in" games, the NCAA Men's Basketball "Field of 64" is set.
As games tip off at noon Thursday, fans will be following the action with brackets in hand, bragging rights and probably a friendly wager or two at stake.
Central Michigan University professor Tim Otteman said this "socially acceptable" rite of spring could lead to gambling problems...
"The NCAA estimates that one out of every ten Americans fills out a bracket. And so this activity is very prominent out there, again it's the start of an activity that could lend to potential problems, and people see it as socially acceptable and harmless."
Otteman said studies have shown an increase in sports gambling in the last 20 years based on the easy access to information the Internet has provided.
He said the constant information allows people to believe it offers a better opportunity to win because it is, in his words, a "gamble based on skill, not a gamble based on chance."
And for college students, Otteman said, it becomes an even bigger gamble because of the risk of developing a larger sports gambling habit.
After Tuesday night's first round or "play-in" games, the NCAA Men's Basketball "Field of 64" is set.
As games tip off at noon Thursday, fans will be following the action with brackets in hand, bragging rights and probably a friendly wager or two at stake.
Central Michigan University professor Tim Otteman said this "socially acceptable" rite of spring could lead to gambling problems...
"The NCAA estimates that one out of every ten Americans fills out a bracket. And so this activity is very prominent out there, again it's the start of an activity that could lend to potential problems, and people see it as socially acceptable and harmless."
Otteman said studies have shown an increase in sports gambling in the last 20 years based on the easy access to information the Internet has provided.
He said the constant information allows people to believe it offers a better opportunity to win because it is, in his words, a "gamble based on skill, not a gamble based on chance."
And for college students, Otteman said, it becomes an even bigger gamble because of the risk of developing a larger sports gambling habit.
