University of Mississippi seeks $2m in annual funding to address problem gambling
The university is requesting state funding to support a new research centre focused on collegiate gambling and establish treatment clinics for the wider public.
US.- The University of Mississippi has requested $2m in annual state funding to expand research and treatment programmes for problem gambling. If approved, the funding would be split equally between the university’s recently launched Center on Collegiate Gambling (CCG) and a new Mississippi Gambling Clinic (MGC). The CCG would focus on research, education and public policy related to student gambling, while the clinic would provide specialised treatment services to the general public.
Despite online sports betting remaining unregulated in Mississippi with proposed legislation stalled for a third consecutive year, the university argued that gambling-related harms continue to grow regardless of whether mobile sports betting is legal. It said nearly 20 million Americans reported at least one problematic gambling behaviour over the past year, while around 4 per cent of Mississippi adults could meet the criteria for gambling disorder.
The university also noted that Mississippi is one of only nine states that provide no public funding for problem gambling services. Researchers said college students are particularly vulnerable. A 2025 survey of Mississippi’s Institutions of Higher Learning found that about 40 per cent of undergraduates had gambled during the previous year, with sports betting among the most common activities. Nearly 16 per cent of students who wagered on sports met the criteria for moderate to severe problem gambling.
The university hopes the new funding will allow the CCG to become a resource for colleges across Mississippi while expanding treatment capacity through the proposed gambling clinics.
CCG founding member Dr. Daniel Durkin said the centre is also seeking private donors but would prefer to avoid funding from the gambling industry if possible. State lawmakers are expected to decide on the request in early 2027.
