Ole Miss Asks State to Fund Problem Gambling Research Center and Treatment Clinic

Online sports betting legislation seems to have stalled in Mississippi for the third year in a row. Still, problems associated with online gambling are taking their toll, according to academics from the University of Mississippi’s newly established Center on Collegiate Gambling (CCG).

While the CCG opted for neutrality in the debate over the legality of mobile sports betting, it shared that message with Mississippi lawmakers when the university requested $2 million in annual state funding. 

If granted, the university will split the funds between two major initiatives: the CCG and the Mississippi Gambling Clinic (MGC). 

Half the money will fund the CCG and its education, research, and policy efforts, focused on student gambling and gambling on college sports. The other million would establish university-based gambling treatment clinics (MGCs) to serve the general public. These clinics would be separate from the university’s existing counseling service, which serves Ole Miss students.

“Whether or not it’s legal, the problem is here,” Dr. Daniel Durkin, a CCG founding member, told Gambling Insider in an interview,

“We need to do something about it,” the associate professor of social work added.

Mississippi Allocates $0 to Problem Gambling

As part of the presentation shared with lawmakers and obtained by Gambling Insider, the university detailed the scope of the problem.

Nearly 20 million Americans, or 8% of all US adults, have reported at least one problematic gambling behavior over the past year. 

According to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), the estimated social cost of dealing with gambling harm is about $14 billion annually. These social costs cover impacts like job loss, debt, and bankruptcy alongside gambling-related legal and healthcare spending.

Within Mississippi, about 4% of adults could meet criteria for gambling disorder. Data shows only about one in 10 people experiencing gambling harm typically seek treatment. 

Mississippi is one of only nine states with no public funding designated for problem gambling services. The state used to transfer $100,000 to the Mississippi Council on Problem and Compulsive Gambling (MCPCG) annually, but ended that contribution in 2018.

College Students Face Even Higher Problem Gambling Risks

On-campus, the situation is worse.

In a 2025 survey of schools belonging to Mississippi’s Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL), the Ole Miss researchers found about 40% of undergraduates gambled during the previous year. Per the findings, most dollars spent went to purchase lottery, scratch cards, and sports wagers. Results also indicated gambling is more common among students living off campus, who participate in sports and Greek life, and identify as white and male. 

The college student population is particularly vulnerable to gambling harms, largely due to brain development, Durkin told GI.

Most people aren’t aware you’re not a fully developed adult until you’re about in your mid 20s. And one of the last things to develop is your prefrontal cortex, which includes things like decision making and impulse control.” 

It’s not just brain development, either, Durkin said. College is often students’ first time away from home and the first time controlling their own finances. That combination, he said, might be a “recipe for disaster.”

Typically, experts expect about 1-2% of the general population to develop severe gambling problems, Durkin noted. But among student populations, that risk rises to approximately 6%. That alone tells you how vulnerable the student population is, he said. 

Of those students who bet on sports, the IHL survey found, nearly 16% met criteria for moderate to severe problem gambling.

Center’s Focus on College Gambling a US First

In late March, Ole Miss announced the establishment of the Center on Collegiate Gambling, highlighting it as the first of its kind in the US.

Durkin told GI the idea for the Center took root about three years prior, after a gambling expert presented to the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics (COIA). COIA is the all-volunteer faculty senate advisory body to the NCAA. Durkin serves as COIA’s steering committee chair.

As the presenter offered up troublesome stats and explained how gambling apps worked, Durkin says he became “very alarmed” for Ole Miss’s student population.

Returning to campus, Durkin connected with Ronald Rychlak, a colleague from the School of Law. Together the pair approached the university’s administration with a request to “do something about this.” 

To figure out the lay of the land on Mississippi campuses, Durkin says he suggested the statewide IHL survey. To get the study off the ground, they turned to Dr. George McClellan from Ole Miss’s Department of Higher Education for help. McClellan had previously assisted with similar surveys for Missouri and Arizona.

As note above, the survey found that despite online gambling’s illegal status, Mississippi university students were gambling on par with other US university students. 

With those results in hand, Durkin says he and his cofounders saw a need, so they opted to pursue the Center.

There are a few centers across the country that focus on gambling. There’s Rutgers. There’s one in Arizona, in East Carolina, but they focus on gambling in general. We felt that there was a need for a center to focus specifically on the collegiate space because of the opportunities for gambling. And us being an SEC school, sports is very big here.” 

Mississippi Problem Gambling Funding ‘Badly Needed’ 

After receiving approval from Ole Miss and the IHL, Durkin and his colleagues turned their attention to securing funding for CCG. In addition to Rychlak and McClellan, Durkin’s colleagues include Dr. Hannah Allen-King and Dr. Nicholas McAfee of the William Magee Center, where CCG is housed.

So far, the group’s only formal funding ask was to state lawmakers.

Durkin believes the presentation went well, and he and his colleagues are optimistic. But, he said it’s hard to predict what Mississippi’s legislature is going to do. They’ve been talking about legalizing online sports betting for four years now, he added. 

The House has passed a mobile sports betting bill every year for the last three years, but the Senate has been the holdup. Durkin is not necessarily counting on a new funding stream opening up. However, if and when Mississippi legalizes online sports betting, he is hopeful a percentage of the tax revenue will be allotted to the Center.

“We’ve seen the numbers. 0.5 percent of what they bring in would fund us,” he explained.

Tennessee is actually a great example of a state that, when the law changed, put in dedicated funding, Durkin observed. With legalization, Tennessee allotted 5% of gambling revenue to gambling treatment and research.

But even if Mississippi fails to legalize online sportsbooks, CCG still needs funding because legal or not, funding for problem gambling is badly needed, Durkin reiterated. Mississippi is already “way behind the eight ball,” he added.

State’s Decision on PG Funds Due Early Next Year

Unfortunately for Durkin and his colleagues, the legislature won’t make its funding decision until sometime in early 2027. The decision, he said, could come as late as March.

Outside of state backing, Durkin told GI that CCG is always looking for donors, though they’d prefer not to take money from the industry.

Durkin had just returned from NCPG’s annual conference, where DraftKings was a sponsor. He also noted that the annual International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking at UNLV is completely industry-funded.

Durkin understands the need to tap into industry resources.

I’m not judgmental of people who do at this point in time because it’s really hard to get funding. But we would very much prefer not to. I think if we did, it would only be in certain contexts.”

Like, perhaps that money could only go to education and prevention, he added.

Durkin said Ole Miss has a relationship with the local Native-run Pearl River Casino. “I’m not closing the door, but I’d prefer not to open it,” he said.

CCG Campus Plan Headed to Chancellor

While CCG waits for funding to land, the organization is keen on doing as much as they can on a shoestring, Durkin said.

Recently, they’ve put together a campus task force to devise a campus plan specific to Ole Miss. To do so, they gathered people from all across the university (housing, financial aid, etc), anybody who might have involvement with gambling-impacted students.

That report, he said, is soon headed to the chancellor with recommendations.

Once funded, one of the first things CCG wants to do is become a resource for other Mississippi universities. Part of that effort could be helping them develop individual campus plans. 

What works here is not necessarily going to work at Jackson State. We want to help them develop their own plans based on the particular needs at their university.” 

Future Clinics to Offer Consistent Support Across Mississippi

Durkin said the university’s existing counseling service can usually provide basic problem gambling first aid. But if someone is experiencing a “full-blown gambling disorder,” they have to seek treatment elsewhere. 

With funding, CCG would like to bring someone in-house who can deal with higher-level needs. The counseling service would also share that resource with other campuses via in-person visits or telehealth, he added.

While the university counseling centers’ focus is on Ole Miss students, Durkin said that could eventually change.

We realize that our faculty and staff colleagues are probably developing problems as well, and we want to build the capacity to attend to them. But you know, small steps first. So first, our students, then the students across the state. If we build the infrastructure, then we could expand to the general population.”

Whether that shift happens, once established, the university-based Mississippi Gambling Clinic(s) will serve all of Mississippi. Having that specialized gambling treatment in-state would mean every resident has access to consistent, high-quality problem gambling support.