As legalized sports betting and digital wagering continue to expand, gambling has become a routine part of life for many young adults. For colleges and universities, this shift raises an important question: how can campuses help students make informed choices and avoid gambling-related harm?
Dr. Michelle L. Malkin, assistant professor at East Carolina University, is working to answer that question through The Betting Blueprint, a wellness-oriented curriculum designed specifically for students ages 18–24. Her approach combines screening, education, financial wellness and early intervention to reduce risk and support healthier decision-making.
Start with awareness and screening
One of the key messages from Dr. Malkin’s work is that screening should be ongoing, not limited to a single awareness campaign. While March’s Problem Gambling Awareness Month provides an important opportunity for outreach, students engage in gambling year-round. Ideally, campuses host multiple screening efforts, including events early in the fall semester and again in March when March Madness increases betting activity.
Peer-led outreach has proven especially effective. Students are more likely to participate when encouraged by their peers and when screening is quick and accessible, such as through a QR code completed on a phone. Brief screening tools that use clear language like “betting and/or gambling” help identify students who may be experiencing harm and connect them with resources before problems escalate.
Redefining what gambling looks like
The curriculum challenges students’ assumptions about gambling, as many young adults associate gambling only with casinos or money-based games. In reality, gambling includes any activity involving something of value and an element of chance.
Today’s gambling landscape includes, but is not limited to, sports wagering, fantasy sports, prediction markets, loot boxes, esports, cryptocurrency speculation, in-play betting and social gaming features. By broadening students’ understanding, the curriculum helps them recognize behaviors they might not otherwise identify as gambling.
The curriculum also explores why some individuals struggle to gamble responsibly. For certain people, brain responses to rewards can lead to chasing losses, overconfidence or difficulty stopping. Students learn to recognize warning signs such as borrowing money, hiding gambling or continuing despite negative consequences.
Importantly, the focus is not prohibition. Instead, the curriculum promotes lower-risk strategies for those who choose to gamble: setting time and money limits, avoiding gambling when stressed or emotional, understanding the odds and using responsible gambling tools available on many platforms. Students also learn that gambling harms extend beyond the individual, affecting roommates, partners, family members and others.
Financial wellness at the center
Another important aspect of The Betting Blueprint is connecting gambling decisions to financial health. Many students have limited experience managing money, making them particularly vulnerable to overspending on entertainment, including betting.
Through budgeting exercises and real-life scenarios, students explore what financial wellness means and how to give every dollar a purpose. They learn to identify priorities, track income and expenses, and distinguish between appropriate entertainment spending and high-risk funding sources such as borrowed money, financial aid or credit card debt.
A key point is that gambling winnings should never be treated as income. Activities encourage students to track results over time, understand variability and consider how unexpected wins or loses affect long-term goals. The emphasis is on building habits that support stability and reduce financial stress.
Students as problem solvers
A distinctive feature of the curriculum is its interactive design. Small-group activities ask students to respond to common beliefs, such as “I can win back my losses” or “My gambling is under control.” By researching data and developing peer-focused messages, students generate their own solutions rather than being lectured.
This collaborative approach increases engagement and helps shift campus norms around gambling.
Meeting Students at a Critical Time
College campuses provide a unique environment to reach emerging adults during a formative period. Dr. Malkin’s work highlights the importance of integrating gambling awareness into broader wellness efforts, including mental health, substance use prevention and financial education.
As gambling opportunities continue to grow, so does the need for practical, student-centered prevention. With ongoing screening, peer engagement and a focus on financial and personal well-being, The Betting Blueprint offers campuses a proactive way to help students make informed choices and avoid harm—long before problems take hold.
The information in this article was taken from Dr. Malkin’s presentation at the MNAPG conference last November. For more information about the curriculum, please contact Dr. Malkin at malkinm20@ecu.edu.