UNLV study reveals Nevada college students often don’t realize they’re gambling
I was interviewed by 8 News Now (KLAS) about a UNLV International Gaming Institute study I conducted with Dr. Andrea Dassopoulos examining gambling behavior among Nevada college students.
Andy and I realized something obvious had never actually been studied: nobody had asked Nevada’s college students whether they gamble. So we did. We surveyed more than 4,600 students, and nearly three in four told us they had gambled in the past year.
What I find most interesting is how often students don’t recognize when they’re gambling at all. When we asked about in-game loot box purchases — paying real money for a randomized reward — close to 60% didn’t consider that gambling. About 15% didn’t count buying a lottery ticket, and many dismissed fantasy leagues the same way.
That gap between behavior and perception is exactly what makes this a public health question and not just a personal one. As one expert we spoke with put it, the line between a video game and a slot machine has effectively disappeared, and the digital age has made that shift happen faster than anyone expected.
