Abstract
We will estimate the causal impact of legalized sports betting on the academic success of college students. Specifically, we employ a quasi-experimental research design to investigate how sports betting affects students’ academic performance and engagement, including course grades, classroom participation, and academic progress at Purdue University. Because betting activity and betting-related attention can respond sharply to the timing and salience of live sporting events, we leverage quasi-random variation in students’ exposure to such events that arises from the interaction of individual fandom and course-specific academic schedules. This design compares students with similar interests in sports who, due to differences in course schedules, are more or less exposed to games on the days of classes and exams, generating plausibly exogenous variation in engagement and wagering behavior. Our findings will inform university administrators and state lawmakers as they fine-tune policies surrounding this newly legalized practice, particularly with respect to its potential impacts on college students’ academic progress.