The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) announced on Apr. 27 the release of a new online course about sports betting, aimed at helping high school students understand the risks involved with gambling.
This development comes as studies show an increase in online sports betting among young people following the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized such activities for digital platforms. The NFHS said its Learning Center has delivered more than 29 million courses on topics like concussions, mental health, and hazing prevention since it was founded nearly two decades ago.
According to the press release, a recent survey by The Harris Poll on behalf of the National Council on Problem Gambling found that one in three adults under age 45 placed a sports bet before turning 21 years old. The NFHS said, “The tag line of the Sports Betting course is ‘It’s Not Worth the Bet,’ and the NFHS highly encourages leaders in our nation’s schools to take this course, and then arrange for all student-athletes in schools – middle schools and high schools – to also take this free course in which they will discover the potential dangers of making that first bet.” Legal consequences were also highlighted: “It is against the law, and breaking the law could mean loss of high school eligibility, and it could start high school students down a lifelong path that could adversely affect their career, finances and family.” The organization added that gambling can negatively impact mental health and academic or athletic performance.
Education-based sports programs are described as providing structure and supervision to help protect student-athletes from gambling-related behaviors. The Ohio High School Athletic Association conducts championship tournaments in 24 sports to celebrate excellence and promote school pride according to its official website. It promotes values such as sportsmanship, citizenship, character development through athletics according to its official website, provides scholarships for exceptional student-athletes according to its official website, collaborates with educational organizations statewide according to its official website, supports member schools according to its official website, upholds ethics through its motto ‘Respect the Game’ according to its official website, and serves as Ohio’s governing entity for interscholastic athletics since being established in 1907 according to its official website.
The NFHS concluded by encouraging all those involved with education-based athletics: “We encourage everyone in our nation’s schools to take the free Sports Betting course and to remember, ‘It’s Not Worth the Bet.'”
As awareness grows around youth involvement in gambling activities, educational resources like this new NFHS course may play an important role within athletic communities.
