Sports betting consumption habits of university students in Extremadura

Abstract

Social changes and new uses of new technologies in the field of leisure have a clear influence on the mental health of our young people. Sports betting and on-line gambling are a leisure alternative for young people and adolescents that in certain cases is associated with pathological gambling and constitutes a real social and health problem. Objective: In this study we set out to study the prevalence of sports betting among university students at the University of Extremadura. Method: For this purpose, last academic year 2021/22, 469 students from different faculties of the UEX responded anonymously and voluntarily to a survey on healthy habits, their participation in sports betting, and their beliefs about gambling. Results: Approximately half of the participants reported having gambled at some time in their lives, although the vast majority of participants do not have gambling as a habit or have not even done so, at least in the last year. The most relevant differences were not associated with the course or degree, but with the gender of the participants. Discussion: Although the prevalence of gambling consumption varies with respect to studiescarried out in other populations, the gender differences coincide with those obtained in previous studies. Boys gambled more than girls and those who practice sports gambled more frequently. The need for educational programs to prevent the problems associated with these behaviors is highlighted.