KDS Math Teacher Raises Awareness on the Risks of Sports Gambling

With the Super Bowl just over a week away, Kent Denver knows that the greater school community—including our students—will soon be inundated with advertisements on television and social media related to sports gambling. Research shows that sports gambling is particularly widespread on college campuses—with a recent study from the NCAA showing that 67% of college students across the country are betting. 

These statistics are a big reason why Kent Denver math teacher Arty Smith started The Gambling Awareness Initiative—where he gives data-driven presentations on sports gambling to students, parents and educators around the country. Related to this work, Mr. Smith shared a special presentation with Kent Denver Upper School students on Monday about some of the alarming data behind the sports betting industry, as well as the elevated risks to younger generations. 

“Gambling has always been addictive, but your generation is more prone to this than any other generation,” said Mr. Smith in his message. “We have put an addictive behavior on a device (phones) that we are already addicted to. If you’re a sports fan, the allure is even stronger. Indeed, in the last month alone in Colorado, bettors have lost $2 million betting on ping pong. We will bet on anything. The majority of gamblers will tell you they bet to win money, especially young gamblers. I want to expose this over-confidence.” 

During his presentation, Mr. Smith aimed to cut through the misconception that sports betting is more a game of “skill” than a game of chance. Sharing an example of over/under wagers from last year’s Super Bowl—and the last seven years of NFL games—his data shows a bettor’s chance of winning is exactly 50 percent, no different than a coin flip. 

“The sportsbooks are not in the business of making fair bets. What they would do for this type of coin flip bet is attach -110 odds to it,” Mr. Smith said. “The expected value calculation shows that this is not a fair bet. With a one dollar bet, you have a 50% chance of winning 91 cents and a 50% chance of losing one dollar. If you placed 100 bets at these odds, you have a 69% chance of losing money.”

With 1,000 bets at those odds, the chance of losing money climbs to 97%. Despite these odds, the data shows that increasingly large numbers of young people are willing to enter the betting market, with some prone to addictive and problematic gambling behavior. The NCAA’s research demonstrates that 16% of college students engaged in at least one “risky gambling” behavior, with 6% reporting that they have previously lost more than $500 betting on sports in a single day. 

“Even for the losing bettors, research from Stanford University shows that these bettors have the same over-confidence that we see in the winners, that they will win money in the long run,” said Mr. Smith. “The data shows that’s not the case, and many are going to learn this lesson the hard way.”

Mr. Smith hopes his presentation can highlight the risks of sports gambling—helping students and community members make smart decisions and avoid problematic behaviors now and in the future. 

“My hope is that small communities like Kent Denver will have a protective effect on one another,” said Mr. Smith. 

Kent Denver community members can watch Mr. Smith's full presentation in the Connection school newsletter and on the KDS parent portal.