Carnegie Mellon University Academics Develop Betting Awareness Course

Two Pennsylvanian academics have teamed up to create a new awareness course to teach students about the risks of sports betting. Acknowledging the sector’s rapid growth and the constant bombardment with ads, the two educators hope to inspire students to be more careful when engaging with the industry.

A Window into the Statistics and Psychology of Betting

The latest awareness initiative is the brainchild of Carnegie Mellon University statistician Ron Yurko and neuroscience professor Linda Moya. The two will pair their unique perspectives and expertise to help students learn to make informed decisions and avoid problem gambling.

As a statistician, Yurko will explain the how low the chances of winning can be, especially in the long term. Among other things, he is considering building a mock sportsbook for the class to help students truly understand how operators function and what tricks they employ to maintain an advantage.

Moya, on the other hand, will examine the brain functions which affect players’ gambling behavior and how excessive use can alter perspectives. She explained that the course will teach students to recognize how addiction develops, what its signs are, and how dangerous it can be.

The Course Responds to the Proliferation of Sportsbooks

Yurko and Moya said that the course’s creation was prompted by the rapid growth of the US gaming and sports betting sector. Sports betting, in particular, has been on the rise ever since the repeal of the PASPA in 2018. Now, an overwhelming number of states have legal retail sportsbook, online betting websites, or both, as is the case with Pennsylvania.

The proliferation of betting has led to a spike in harmed players, especially among more vulnerable groups. Campus students, in particular, have been an audience that has embraced sportsbooks, with many going as far as to wager in the classroom, according to Yurko.

The two academics hope to make a change and teach students to recognize the risks they expose themselves to when betting and teach others about the dangers of gambling as a whole.  

The course it set to begin next spring, has already filled all 35 seats, and boasts a waitlist.