Gambling Harm Among Athletes: What the Research Shows

Research on gambling harm among athletes consistently finds elevated rates of problem gambling in some groups of male athletes, although the studies differ in sample, year and screening method and cannot be added together. This article summarises figures from the NCAA and from published studies of elite athletes in Sweden, Ireland and the United Kingdom, and the explanations the researchers offer.

The desk · Reviewed 11 October 2026

What do NCAA surveys of student-athletes show?

The NCAA's 2024 study surveyed more than 20,000 student-athletes and is the fifth NCAA study on the topic since 2004. It found that the share of men who reported betting on sports in the prior year, in violation of NCAA bylaws, was 22 percent in 2024 against 24 percent in 2016, while about 5 percent of women reported it in both years.

Within those stable headline numbers the NCAA points to indicators of risk that rose, shown in the table. It notes that gambling alone may hide a problem from family, friends, teammates and coaches.

How much of the betting is social, and what about harassment?

The survey describes most betting as social and small: 85 percent of men and 95 percent of women said they most likely gamble with family, a partner, teammates or friends, and typical stakes were under USD 50 for about two-thirds of men and 90 percent of women. Among Division III men in seven high-betting sports, monthly or more frequent betting ranged from 15 percent to more than 25 percent by sport in 2024, against 2 to 8 percent in Division I.

The NCAA study also asked about harassment from bettors. In Division I, 21 percent of men's tennis players and 17 percent of men's basketball players reported it.

What do studies of elite athletes in Europe find?

A 2025 survey of elite ice hockey players in Sweden's top leagues, published in The Physician and Sportsmedicine, found that 12 percent of male players met the criteria for moderate-risk or problem gambling and none of the female players did. The authors concluded that gambling problems were three to four times more prevalent than among young men in the general population, and that they were strongly associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms and hazardous drinking.

A 2020 Swedish thesis covering ice hockey, football, floorball and basketball, with 1,438 athletes and 401 coaches responding, classified 13 percent of male athletes and 2 percent of female athletes as at risk of gambling problems. In the United Kingdom, a 2014 report for the Professional Players' Federation, discussed in the British Journal of Sports Medicine blog, found that 6 percent of almost 350 footballers and cricketers met the criteria for problem gambler, more than three times the rate for men in the general population.

A study of elite Irish players with a sample of 608 found problem gambling affected 5 percent of the group, against 1 percent of the general Irish population, according to a 2026 paper in the Irish Journal of Medical Science.

Why does gambling become harmful in sport?

Interviews with footballers who had experienced gambling problems, published in 2016 in Addiction Research and Theory by researchers at Bangor, London and Oxford universities, describe gambling that began as a shared leisure activity. Wins could mimic the excitement of success on the pitch, and problems developed under professional pressure, with players often gambling alone to cope with long-term injury, being dropped, release or transfer away from family and friends.

The Bangor study's suggestions for reducing risk include recognising the influence of peer behaviour, since senior players' habits set social norms for young players, and paying attention to players who are dropped, injured or out on loan because they are often more isolated.

The same study identifies barriers to seeking help: reluctance to admit a problem to themselves and fear that telling coaching staff would lead to being dropped. The Swedish interview study found gambling largely normalised among athletes and coaches, with no gambling policy in place, and the hockey study's authors discuss vulnerability to match-fixing-related fraud.

How far can these figures be compared?

The figures come from different populations, countries, years and instruments, so the percentages describe each study rather than a single global rate. The NCAA numbers rely on athletes reporting behaviour that breaks association rules. The Swedish studies are web surveys with estimated or partial participation, and the Irish paper analysed free-text comments from a survey rather than reporting a new prevalence figure.

The Swedish thesis concludes that clubs need more knowledge about problem gambling and that sports associations should lead on policy and education, rather than leaving responsibility to coaches and athletes alone.