Given the incidence of sports betting, it s a safe bet that a significant portion of that debt represents money lost betting on sporting events. But understanding gambling among your peers also requires understanding why people bet. It s a way of proving how smart or daring they are. Men in general, and young men in particular, are more inclined than their female counterparts towards risk-taking, and there are few things as risky as betting money on a event over which you have no control. Saum agrees with Whyte s assessment and adds that this psychological profile partially explains why male athletes are so inclined towards gambling.
Sports breeds aggressiveness.
Like many of their non-athletic counterparts, young male athletes think that they are invincible. All of this puts young male athletes at a particular risk for problem gambling. In some respects, Saum s profile applies to female athletes as well. So, it shouldn t surprise anyone that they might also be drawn to gambling. Whyte hastened to add that the lack of prevention and education efforts makes it harder for students to avoid the pitfalls of gambling.