The reality of gambling in college: Online betting increases gameplay

Gambling has been romanticized in movies and television for years, and now, it has made its way to college campuses like Mississippi State University.

As technology advances, the gambling world has seen a shift from in-person gameplay to convenient online betting, which has increased gambling addictions by 30% between 2018 and 2021, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling.

Websites and apps like DraftKings, Stake and BetMGM allow users to bet real money in online books and casinos. Mississippi officially legalized betting apps in 2017, and the first retail sports book in Mississippi was opened in August 2018.

However, for many players, their experience with gambling began much earlier.

A junior at MSU and previous Las Vegas resident requested anonymity because he illegally participated in betting in his youth. He recalls his early memories of playing with slot machines at the airport or in gas stations. He explained how this led to his use of online betting apps.

“It’s easy, it’s accessible, it’s on your phone and you can find bookies in any state that will help you find a way to gamble. I bet on sports because you can make any sports game interesting if you put money on the line,” he said.

The sports bettor said he thought other students were bad at managing money and are at a very high risk of developing a gambling addiction. He explained his theory on how limited regulations can affect users.

“College students around here are some of the more likely crowd to bet on SEC sports for sure. Neither in person or online betting is regulated enough. There’s not a single casino that turns away people addicted to gambling,” he said.

A 27-year-old bookie from Alabama, who asked that his identity not be shared, takes bets for bettors in his state because it has not been legalized yet. He described how his experience betting while he was younger influenced his decision to become a bookie.

“As time goes on, you start to realize more and more, no matter how good or bad you’re doing, the house seems to always win. So, I switched sides and started taking the bets instead of placing them,” he said in an email to The Reflector.

The bookie implied that betting is rarely beneficial to the bettors. He claimed that gambling has no preferred crowd and encouraged anyone who has money to bet.

“I’ve got 16-year-old high school punks betting with Daddy’s money; I’ve got middle-aged divorcees trying to cover alimony ... Gambling doesn’t care if you’re old, young, black, blue, pink, white or orange. All it cares about is green,” he said.

The bookie claimed that gambling addiction was not a problem with the game but rather the people playing it.

“(If) you don’t have the accountability skills to properly manage your money, and you put your money down on my table, that’s on you,” he said.

However, William Blossom, a senior majoring in business information systems, disagreed with the bookie and claimed the problem lies in the system. As a user of Underdog Fantasy, a popular sports betting app, he highlighted the way they take advantage of their players.

“Underdog wraps you in by offering an incentive to players who influence someone else to sign up,” Blossom said.

The app offers money to use for bets in exchange for users convincing their peers to sign up as well.

“Every dollar you put into the app immediately doubles, so they're fronting you, everything that you put in. Basically, telling you that you can’t beat their odds and take their money,” Blossom said. GAMBLING, 2

DeeDee Baldwin, a history research librarian at the Mitchell Memorial Library, said she invited Flakes to speak so students can connect with a past that is not as distant as it seems.

“There's still stuff going on now with fighting over voting rights — we're still fighting some of the same battles,” Baldwin said. “A lot of people think all that stuff is over, and it's not.”

Flakes encourages those interested in this part of American history to attend her talk, titled “What Would Momma Fannie Do?” and view the documentary “Fannie Lou Hamer’s America.”

Flakes will hold a book signing after her talk.

Timothy Hopkins works in the Division of Access, Diversity and Inclusion at MSU to help organize some of the events for Black History Month. Of the events scheduled, Hopkins said he

“In 2020, that is when the (curbside recycling) program shut down,” Van Epps said, “and so now, we’ve reached the point where most things are in person, most things are open, so that gives us the greatest opportunity to reach as many people as we could.”

Starkville native and MSU student Rebekah Carruth expanded Van Epps’ points.

“The Think Green Center is more difficult for residents with decreased mobility to haul their recycling to, which could be a concern for retirees,” Carruth said, “which is why curbside recycling is such an important thing to reinstate.”

After the SSC members and two non-student Starkville residents expressed their support for recycling, Alderman Beatty opened the board’s discussion.

“I’ve got a five-year-old grandson,” Beatty said. “… I want to do everything that’s possible, that’s socially responsible, to provide an opportunity for people in the City of Starkville to do recycling, every opportunity we can possibly give.”

He compiled data from seven other Southeastern

One of the more daunting issues with online gambling is its ability to accommodate underage players. Blossom described this phenomenon with his own experience.

Star Wars

Jacob Crook, an assistant art professor and printmaking director at MSU, reached out to Starwars about composing an exhibition of his work. Years ago, the two had become acquainted in the printmaking industry.

“The planning of the exhibit has kind of been a year-and-a-half or two years long process with figuring out Sean's availability and coordinating that with the gallery schedule,” Crook said.

Lori Neuenfeldt, gallery director for MSU’s Department of Art, said the exhibit will be a great way for students and the community to see the artwork being produced in Mississippi.

“It's bright, it's bold, it's raw, it's rough. The way I describe it is, to me, there's a sound to it. It's rock and roll,” Neuenfeldt said.

Starwars said his artwork was heavily was most looking forward to the Black History Month Mixer on Feb. 16, an event aimed at fostering strong connections between students and faculty outside of the classroom. Refreshments will be provided.

On Feb. 17, the Dawgs after Dark event Good Times will be hosted at 8 p.m. in the Perry Cafeteria. The event will be a game night where students are encouraged to wear '70s, '80s and '90sinspired outfits while enjoying bingo, culturally-based jeopardy and board and card games.

Next is the Maroon Lounge: Celebrating Black Music event on Feb. 23. The celebration will spotlight Black musical artists whose voices and songs have changed the world over decades and across genres. Attendees can expect a live band performance, social interactions and refreshments.

Conference college towns, stating that most of the compared towns have access to a local recycling facility, unlike Starkville.

“We don’t have that luxury here,” Beatty said.

Columbus houses the nearest WastePro location, where Starkville hauls its recycled items.

Accordingly, Starkville has an increased cost of transportation and labor for its recycling program, as opposed to the seven SEC towns Beatty listed.

Oxford has the most similar population to Starkville. Both Mississippi college towns have around 25,000 residents. Beatty said he spoke to officials in Oxford who reported that 40% of the city’s 14,000 households participate in curbside recycling.

Mississippi’s other SEC city discontinued curbside recycling in 2020 due to the pandemic, like Starkville, but Oxford reinstated it in 2022. According to its website, Oxford offers its current program at no cost to residents. However, the city charges participants $21 for a pair of bins when participants sign up.

Beatty unveiled his proposal for the board to consider. In his curbside recycling plan, participants

“I’m 21 years old; technically, I should only have a year of betting under my belt, but I have four years under my belt,” Blossom said.

Online gambling sites must opt-in to the $6-amonth program by contacting the sanitation department. The department will pick up cardboard, aluminum and tin cans, paper and plastics #1 and #2 twice a month. The city will issue two 18gallon recycling buckets for materials excluding cardboard. Beatty said residents would flatten cardboard and stack it under the recycling buckets on the street or request an optional 64-gallon container to place it in.

In the Colvard Student Union, the art exhibition "Called to Create: Celebrating Black Artists" will display a collection of works by African American students and community members throughout the entire month of February.

Black History Month events will conclude with Talented 100 on Feb. 27 in Lee Hall.

From musical and dance exhibitions to oratorical performances, various acts of African American talent will be showcased.

Hopkins said it is important for students to seize the opportunity to dive into the past and continue to reflect on African American history.

“I think that there's an opportunity for students to use it as an educational opportunity in order for them to learn, to grow and to continue to develop,” Hopkins said.

Ward 3 Alderman Jeffrey Rupp said he would sign up for the proposed initiative as a citizen but would not vote for it as an alderman until the board knew of the associated costs.

Beatty stated that the board would have the total budgeting data after the program began.

“We won’t know until we get in the recycling business and know how many customers we pick up,” Beatty said In the proposal, Beatty said WastePro would divide each resident’s recycled materials into four larger containers at their Starkville location, charging the city $300 per pull of each full container. He estimated the provide a platform that normalizes betting money, even before their users are of legal age. As these risky practices are promoted, players are encouraged to treat their money like a town would fill each one about once a month. Sanitation and Environmental Services Director Christopher Smiley assisted Beatty with the numbers.

He said WastePro container pick-up would cost around $1,200 per month, and servicing 250 participants would generate $1,500 per month to cover the waste management charges.

Beatty clarified that the program would not be able to service thousands of households.

“This program is not designed, and the way we’ve set it up with the $6 fee and the way we want to do it, to handle 1,000 customers,” the alderman said.

Sanitation employees driving a pickup truck with an attached alley cat trailer would collect recycling from residences.

Mayor Lynn Spruill said the city’s alley cat is old and asked if it could handle driving on the roads. Sanitation Director Smiley said the alley cat was not specifically designed for street patrol but could do the job.

“We would have to factor in wear-and-tear because we’d be using it more than we’re using it game rather than a real-life necessity.

Blossom explained why he bets, but he emphasized that gambling should only be played responsibly.

“There's a thrill to now,” Smiley said.

Along with the alley cat comes extra labor, transportation and gas expenses, Spruill said.

“This is not a sustainable option,” Smiley said. “This is just a starter.”

Alderman Beatty expressed his frustration about the board’s lack of support for his plan.

“What we’re trying to do is start a program, a bare bones program, because people want curbside recycling,” Beatty said. “… I would want my colleagues up here to try to work with me … I sense that we’re looking for every other way in the world not to do this.”

Alderman Rupp said he was concerned about the city starting and stopping the program due to budget cuts. He said if the town were tight on money, the board would cut curbside recycling first because the costs would outweigh the revenue during the program’s beginning stages.

Budgeting Chair Sandra Sistrunk echoed Rupp, saying the board supports curbside recycling, but the fees associated with the program would outweigh the revenue of a $6-a-month program. She estimated the city would need to charge gambling. It’s fun, and I understand that, but I don’t understand how people get so hooked on that thrill because money is important and can’t be treated like nothing,” participants $15 or $20 per month to be monetarily responsible.

“If it’s going to be an opt-in program, we want to price it right,” Sistrunk said.

The Ward 2 alderwoman recommended the board contract a waste management system to provide curbside recycling and decide on the price.

Aldermen Roy Perkins, Ward 6, and Henry Vaughn, Sr., Ward 7, agreed with Sistrunk and said they would not vote on Beatty’s proposal as it stands due to the unclear budgeting data.

“It’s very obvious that we’re looking for a way not to do this,” Beatty said in response, “instead of looking for a way to get in here and roll our sleeves up and find a way to make this, make curbside recycling work. There’s a way to make it work.”

Beatty urged the public to “put pressure” on the board to reinstate curbside recycling.

“If Oxford, Mississippi, can recycle, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, can recycle, we can recycle,” Beatty said.

Van Epps said Students for a Sustainable Campus has a petition that Starkville residents can sign to support the movement.

Blossom said.

The influenced by his skateboarding background.

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“Whenever I was in high school, it prompted me to look at some other things that I felt were kind of harmonious with the skateboarding aesthetic, and the thing I connected to was the work of German expressionists and then psychedelic poster artist,” Starwars said.

Additionally, Starwars’ love for color has shaped his work into vibrant animations.

“I want to go to Walmart, and I want to stay into the laundry detergent aisle and just be bombarded with fluorescent colors and artificial smells, and that vibe is kind of what drives my work,” Starwars said.

With his work being seen on TV sitcoms and on products for Hurley, Neuenfeldt said it was exciting to host a Mississippi artist with a wide range of experience.

Crook said students should expect to see bold marks, bright colors and interesting juxtapositions at the exhibit.

“Much of the work is centered around pop culture references and research of that kind,” Crook said.

According to Crook, Starwars straddles the line between an

“outsider” artist and a “professional” fine artist with lively artwork.

“I think that everyone should come and see his artwork because viewing artwork is a great way to expand your perspective as to what constitutes as fine art,” Crook said.

Weekly Horoscopes

Scorpio- You will get mono from a Crystal Pepsi shared amongst friends.

Sagittarius- You’ll take your last drink of Sierra Mist ever. You will not take notice of the fact that it was your last drink of Sierra Mist. In a year or two, you won’t notice when the Sierra Mist spouts disappear from the Arby’s fountains. You didn’t even know they discontinued Sierra Mist until this horoscope.

Cancer - Your mom has had one too many glasses of chardonnay at her ritual wine retreat. Hold your breath, pronouns just came up.

Leo - Same thing with the mono, but you and I both know where you got it from. Did you at least enjoy yourself?

Aries - The Ice Spice album is good, but your friends don’t want to hear it every 30 minutes. They also do not want to hear about your thoughts on Palestine or your favorite quotes from Parks and Rec

Libra - You’ll get bitten by two different snakes in two very different contexts, set apart by eighteen hours. Play it safe: avoid your friend from Pensacola with the face tattoo and any reptile petting experiences.

Break - There were a total of 22 instances that authorites responded to from December 23 - January 3 regarding water damage or burst pipes.

January 3 - An employee reported finding a bullet inside Raspet Flight Center. Damages were found to the roof, computer monitor’s screen and work desk.

January 8 - A student was arrested in Starkville for domestic violence.

January 10 - An employee reported that counterfeit money was used to pay for services at the Wise Center.

January 20 - An employee was found semiconcious and breathing at the Wise Center. The subject was then transported to OCH via ambulance.

Everyone knows that going to class is no longer just “going to class”; it is a fashion show every day on the Drill Field. Keep your fashion forward with this forecast of future trends for this year.

Western wear wins again

While Mississippi fashion is no stranger to Western wear, in 2023, I expect to see boots, bell bottoms and belt buckles expand to a nationwide trend. In addition, I expect brands like Wrangler, Carhartt and Dickies to continue to grow in popularity. This is exciting news for my fellow Southerners who can now fashionably represent their redneck roots.

The staple sorority girl's pink cowboy hat and white game day cowboy boots are