noteworthy
Since online sports betting became legal in Massachusetts in 2023, companies such as FanDuel and DraftKings have collectively raked in a pot of over $500 million in the Commonwealth. But is it a win for college students? The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) recently awarded three Sawyer Business School marketing professors a unique two-year research grant to find out. Their goal: Study how college students experience and are impacted by paid sports betting advertising in Massachusetts, and figure out ways to encourage positive play and reduce problematic sports betting behaviors.
The study will employ a community-based research model, training two dozen college students to gather data through interviews and watch parties on the impact of gambling advertising on their peers. Students will also be trained in data analysis and then interpret interview data. “We think engaging nonprofessional researchers will emphasize the social-impact dynamic of the study,” says Marketing Department Chair Jane Zhu, who will conduct the study along with associate professors Andrew Smith and Müjde Yuksel.
The study, Zhu says, could potentially affect future MGC policy decisions. In addition, students will create short-form videos that colleges can use to educate students on the risks and rewards of sports betting.
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fall 2024
Illustration: iStock
By Ben Hall
