Here are some ideas on how schools can better treat gambling addiction

Good morning, and thanks for spending part of your day with Extra Points.

Last month, I wrote about my growing concerns with the intersection of gambling and college sports, and of the need for the industry (and fans) to grapple with what a more responsible gaming world might look like.

This may be a minority opinion, but I’m personally far more concerned about gambling (and assorted gambling addictions, point shaving and manipulation, corruption, etc) presenting an existential threat to the college sports enterprise than I am with anything relating to NIL, employment status, labor classifications or athlete compensation. If fans have reason to believe the games themselves aren’t completely on the up-and-up, nothing else matters.

But the solutions to sports gambling regulation problems are mostly beyond the grasp of any campus official. College ADs, presidents and coaches can share their opinions and concerns, but it’s unlikely that those folks can (at least alone) push for legislative or regulatory changes. Charlie Baker and the full weight of the NCAA lobbying machine haven’t quite been able to do that either.

But do we just throw up our arms and pray that a major scandal avoids the schools that we personally care about? Or are there ways to limit risks, and harm, that are within the control of actual schools? At least one expert has some ideas.

Eric Wood is the director of Counseling & Mental Health at Texas Christian University. Unlike most schools, Dr. Wood told me that TCU’s campus therapy programs specifically ask about gambling behaviors as part of a new patient intake form.

Campus therapy groups treat various kinds of addictions, from athletes to regular students, all the time.

First, Dr. Wood recommended practitioners think deeper about what a gambling addiction actually is, and how it differs from potentially other addictions.”

“Gambling addiction is what we could classify as a process addiction, rather than an addiction to a specific substance,” he told me. Somebody struggling with this type of process addiction will struggle to contain that compulsive behavior, even though they face negative consequences, potentially severe ones.